Set entirely at Wybrany College - a school where the wealthy keep their kids safe from the chaos erupting in the cities - Four by Four is a novel of insinuation and gossip, in which the truth about Wybrany's 'program' is always palpable, but never explicit. An exploration of the relationship between the powerful and powerless - and the repetition of these patterns-Mesa's 'sophisticated nightmare' calls to mind great works of gothic literature (think Shirley Jackson) and social thrillers to create a unique, unsettling view of freedom and how a fear of the outside world can create monsters.