Vita Nostra | Dark Academia Novel Review
Vita Nostra Cover
Vita Nostra is a novel unlike any I think I have read before and contains themes that I feel are especially prevalent in this modern age. Although I finished it a few days ago, I wanted to take some time to digest it, the morals and storyline contained are a lot to process quickly, before I wrote my review.
Vita Nostra tells the story of Sacha, a young girl who is chosen whilst on her holiday by the seaside to attend an Institute for Special Technologies. After completing a series of strange, disciplinarian tasks, she leaves for a small village named Torpa. At first, the school seems like any normal college, but the lessons and teachers soon turn out to be something entirely out of the ordinary.
The first thing to mention about this novel is its storyline and plot points. The subject of the novel is very philosophical and takes some time to get used to whilst you read. In some ways, this makes reading a little trudging, but once you get used to it, you can really sink your teeth into the themes and think deeply about the lessons that Sacha is being taught. That being said, at no point does the novel feel entirely incomprehensible, this isn't Ulysses after all!
The novel is well-paced and the characters are well-developed and carry readers throughout the story well. I found the characters very kafkaesque in their description, in that I learnt very little if anything about their physiognomy, but a lot about their minds and work ethics. This was enjoyable as I could imagine Sacha how I wished and therefore, felt more invested in her journey.
Something I cannot truly explain, but enjoyed nonetheless, was the subtle darkness that pervaded the text. I felt almost afraid to turn the page as if the story that I was reading was in some way alive. This was caused, in part due to the storyline and Sacha’s intensity, but also due to the characterisation of the teachers. I can't truly declare this a horror novel, it is too close to Dark Academia for that, but there are certainly some horrifying undertones, and I don’t think I’d much enjoy reading this at night.
My only complaint about this novel is the relationships between the characters. Whilst they were individually characterised well, each character felt like a separate entity and even when they interacted with each other, there was a subtle friction that made the interactions feel abrasive. Whilst this may have been a conscious choice, and may have contributed to the subtle darkness I mentioned above, it felt a little strange to read.
However, overall, I enjoyed this novel far more than I expected when I began to read it. It dragged me in deep and made me question life in a new light, which is essential to a Dark Academia novel. It inspired me with its intricacies and unique plotline, and I would thoroughly recommend it to any lovers of Dark Academia.
