Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Trust

While initially difficult to get into, this book was delightfully written, peeling back page by page the mystery of the couple at its core. Each novel felt like a new discovery and became easier to read, more personal and less fabricated. While its themes are familiar, it's no less vindicating as you turn the last page and realize the truth.

Mildred's tragic story is reminiscent of the many, many intelligent women that have been lost to history because they could not tell their own stories. The fact that Vanner was the one who actually described her the best - albeit embellishing mania - is really interesting.

Vanner's writing style, let's be honest, is boring, and it made entering the novel difficult, but it was time-accurate. It read like a more historical Great Gatsby and painted Benjamin (Andrew) and Helen (Mildred) as eccentrics who were misunderstood geniuses who fell to the worst fates - one taken by the evils of capitalism, the other by the evils of mental illness.

Andrew's "memoir" was disjointed and intriguing. I loved the incomplete notes, making the narrative feel cobbled together. I knew that I couldn't wholly trust the writing, but I appreciated the style. Mildred was painted as a Saint, but she was not the main character. He was.

Ida's story revealed just how horrible Andrew really was, written both in the past and present. As she discovers Andrew's mythmaking, the real truth begins to peek out between the pages. I marked where Andrew's memoir matched exactly with Ida's life and it was such a great way to tie them together. Seeing his Visage through a woman like Ida finally brought the bigger picture into focus - his pride, callousness, and unwillingness to admit his wife was far more remarkable.

Mildred's journals were the most painful, but the most beautifully written. I loved the format - snippets of her day interspersed with confessions of her true nature. She was the mastermind, and it was through Andrew's voice and station that she was able to thrive. It's here that we realize that Vanner wasn't the liar Andrew painted him to be, rather he got the closest to the truth. She was actually writing to him in the sanatorium, and he seemed to be a good friend. I loved her story, but hated that her life devolved into the pain of cancer.

I first thought that this book needed more exposition, but I was just jumping to conclusions. Read it all the way through before you make judgements. It's a really fascinating puzzle that will stick with me for a long time.

Content Warnings

znvisser's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The concept of this book is intriguing and even though its form slowed the pace and I didn't enjoy all writing styles equally, I found the execution really clever and the story interesting. I loved the way in which layers were added to bring all kinds of nuance and contradictions to events and characters, building depth into them and their mutual connections. I was especially entertained by the part through Ida's perspective, both its plot and her reflections. Beautifully done.

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ae_world's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

„Most accounts of the crash are, in general, correct, except for the omission of my name. For this single error I am thankful. (…) In 1929, everyone heard D F# E A and, listening ahead, thought A E F# D. But when I heard D F# E A, the response ringing in my mind was G C B D.” - Mildred through her journal found by Ida.

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za_hra's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Interesting idea and I can see why it was nominated for the Man Booker. Unfortunately for me just fell flat of really fleshing out what made the book interesting and focused a bit too much on boring financial information

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ashylibrarian's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is not an easy leisure read, and I don’t know that it would appeal to a wide audience of readers. The story is pretty complex and gets really dense in certain sections. The first 50% felt very literary as we learn about the characters and their connections to one another. There are also many nuances throughout the book that can be confusing – for example, one section focuses heavily on financial information and Wall Street, and to be honest, I was pretty lost. It is very well-written and interestingly explores the same story in four (4) stories.

Explores themes of power, visibility, gender roles/expectations, and how, and by whom, history is recorded.

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alisonvh's review against another edition

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challenging reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is so good! It’s about wealth and who gets to tell their own stories and it’s so, so well done! I devoured this book in a week and that’s not normal for me.

Content Warnings

cnoonan4's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

While I found the first section of the book to be a bit slow, I’m really happy I pushed through to the end. Diaz does an exceptional job with this style of writing, and pulls off a book that leaves you thinking deeply about the stories you hear and tell and the ones you don’t. I would definitely recommend at least getting to page 100 before you make a decision about carrying on to the end!

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