Reviews with content warning for Classism - Trust

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Trust by Hernán Díaz

10 reviews

dolores153's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

Revelations about 2/3 of the way through the book completely changed meaning of earlier chapters. Started over again at the beginning, and enjoyed recognizing the interplay of the various parts. Unexpectedly delightful analogy with musical progressions.

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appled303's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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leahthebooklover's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No

4.0

"Trust" asked me to consider what truth is, and who do I trust to tell me the truth, since truth is subjective based on the bias of the source. The book was nothing like the Gatsby-esque story I was expecting. I'm having a hard time even deciding how to rate this book. On the one hand, it addresses some very important themes; power, wealth, politics, monetization, truth, image, feminism, identity, responsibility and more. On the other hand, the structure of the book was unusual and unsettling. It didn't really make sense until the very end. It's the story of an embarrassingly wealthy financier in the early 20th century. He is well known for his "golden touch" when it comes to successfully investmenting in the stock market, but he and his wife live a very enigmatic and somewhat reclusive life. We hear about them in four separate stories, told from four different perspectives with distinctly different styles. Part one is a novel within the novel, "historical fiction", if you will. The names of the characters are changed, but the story contains enough details that the "real life" inspirations are easily identifiable, and there are enough insinuations and embellishments in the manuscript that the subject of the book, Andrew Bevel, sets out to "right the record". Part two is his rough draft autobiography, and was the least enjoyable and most confusing section of the book. Part three is a memoir by Ida Partenza (also known as Ida Prentice - a word play on apprentice). She is remembering her time as Andrew Bevel's personal secretary. Her sole responsibility is to write his biography, while he oversees, edits, and approves of everything she writes in order to shape the story to his liking. The longer Ida works with him, the more she comes to realize his version of the truth isn't any more real than the story he's trying to to refute (the part one "novel"). Part three was my favorite section of the book, but part four is where all of the dangling threads of the first three sections come together. It's the personal diary of Mildred Bevel - Andrew's wife. In her account, secrets are revealed and questions are answered. Diaz's complex and unusual style was an effective way to tell this story, but I can imagine readers abandoning the book in part two and missing out on the full experience, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

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m_a_j's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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juksu's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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gracescanlon's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective fast-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

4.25

In Trust, Díaz used unique method of storytelling I'd not encountered but much enjoyed. I loved that the first two parts of the book were written by men, both with fond feelings toward the main female character, but flawed, and limited by their upbringing and the society around them all the same, while the second parts were told by female characters about their own experiences, using their own words.

The ordering of these parts created the effect of the women setting the record straight. One woman saw herself in the other and used her own experience as a woman to read between the lines of the previous narratives to learn the real story while placating men. Meanwhile, the other woman told the actual story, as it happened in her life, using her own words. I loved that it seemed that it was the combined efforts of the women that revealed the truth - the first, in analyzing the information she was given and pursuing the real story, and the second, in recording the facts as she knew them.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Look, I'll be honest, the description of this book really didn't sound that interesting to me. But then it made a ton of awards lists and I saw some glowing reviews from trusted readers and really, I ended up wanting to see what it was really like for myself. Plus, sometimes it's the unexpected books that end up being new favorites, because my enjoyment of them is more of a surprise. And so, I found myself (after a long wait on the holds list), in possession of an audiobook and ready to see for myself.

In Trust, the reader experiences the story of Andrew Bevel and his wife, Mildred (or Benjamin Rask and his wife, Helen) from a number of perspectives. First, a fictional novel that may or may not actually hold some seeds of truth. Next, a first attempt at retelling the story the way he wants it to be understood, from Andrew himself. Followed quickly by some insight on that "autobiographical" point of view from the ghost writer hired to assist in the project. And finally, in her own fractured words from her final months, Meldred Bevel herself. Although technically all four narratives are telling the same story, the differences in presentation and bias create four unique, yet deeply intertwined, variations of the lead up to, moment of, and recovery (or not, as it were) from the stock market crash of 1929, Black Tuesday, and the role the Bevel's may or may not have played in that infamous historical moment.

The opening of this novel, the novel within a novel, reads very much like Patrick Raden Keefe (based solely on my experience with Empire of Pain). It is deeply researched information about the market trends and stock exchange and the build and crash of the 20s that I appreciated in theory and skimmed in reality because...personal interest is lacking there (props to the audio for pulling me through this part). On the other hand, the intricacies of mental health care and treatment of this first part I found fascinating. Moving into the second part, the change in tone is astounding - a blowhard memoir that screams with satire that is subtle enough to be missed, if one agrees with it on surface, highlighting the classism and misogyny of the early 1900s and the BS exceptionalism of the “my profit is for the betterment of this country and it’s just convenient that I get rich too but if other people do it too, they’re irresponsible and bringing the country down.” I also enjoyed the unique ‘memoir in progress’ outline kind of format. The third section brings a very opposing perspective, with light caricaturing on the other side of the economic and political landscapes as well. Seeing such a stark presentation of the way a person can rewrite their own memories was psychologically fascinating. And really just getting a "normal person" view of the proceedings and trappings of wealth to contrast the first two in tone was a nice literary touch. And finally, the short final section was about what I suspected it would be, but in a very satisfying/confirming sort of way. And it was more nuanced than it might have been with the mental illness actuality and/or potential, that created just enough of a question of reliability to keep it from being too easy an ending.

Overall, I was super impressed with how distinct the voices in each section were. It was really incredible writing, with well-layered narratives that had aspects from each narrative interwoven throughout the others, in ways both explicit and more subtle, that provided continuity and the suspicion of (at least some) truths in each. As I kept reading, this feature of the novel just kept on impressing me, as I experienced the way each of these records is played with and repurposed by the others, twisted based on the teller, until the truth of the memories are so far buried as to be undiscoverable. Not only was it great in a literary sense, it reflected reality so effectively in the examination of the way different people and perspectives see the same story. And it did so in a way that wasn’t repetitive or too obvious.

While the focus of this novel, for me, was definitely the characterization pieces, it is worth noting that there were also some fascinating philosophical musings about the nature of money. And Diaz also painted a great historical fiction setting, in all aspects of "world-building," in the way these characters moved through the world they lived in, and alongside the worlds they were not fully a part of. This was especially ture along lines of sex and class. This is also reflected in the commentary he makes on who has the power to control the narrative (and the insecurity to falsify it), and how that affects the popular view/opinion (and therefore the future knowledge and interpretations available for mass consumption and understanding). These are important questions we must remember to ask when considering both historical and present day popular narratives, and this novel is a superbly crafted communication of that point.

Diaz demonstrates how easily we can manipulate others' words, and even our own minds, to make ourselves see/believe what we wish reality was with precision and deep intelligence, that nevertheless remains completely accessible. While this is perhaps not a favorite read of mine, I am coming away with a deep appreciation for Diaz's craft and respect for the story (stories?) he told in these pages. I see why it has received such praise.

“Most of us prefer to believe we are the active subjects of our victories but only the passive objects of our defeats. We triumph, but it is not really we who fail - we are ruined by forces beyond our control.”

“The developments of the market reached him only as 'news,' which is how the press refers to decisions made by other people in the recent past.”

“Some people, under certain circumstances, hide their true emotions under exaggeration and hyperbole, not realizing their amplified caricature reveals the exact measure of the feelings it was meant to conceal.”

“Fiction harmless? Look at religion. Fiction harmless? Look at the oppressed masses content with their lot becasue they have embraced the lies imposed on them. History itself is just a fiction - a fiction with an army. And reality? Reality is a fiction with an unlimited budget. That's what it is. And how is reality funded? With yet another fiction: money. Money is at the core of it all. An illusion we've all agreed to support. Unanimously. We can differ on other matters, like creed or political affiliations, but we all agree on the fiction of money and that this abstraction represents concrete goods. Any goods.”

“There was a bizarre sort of violence in having my memories plagiarized.”

“I know my days are numbered, but not every number is a real number.”

“God is the most uninteresting answer to the most interesting questions.”

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travisppe's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Took me a while to figure out how the structure worked but once I did I was hooked.

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srm's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the first section, and then the rest of it, even with the clever reveals, couldn't capture my imagination and heart as fully.

Content Warnings

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

Review:

I spent the first half to two-thirds of Trust by Hernan Diaz feeling vaguely confused. I could understand what was happening, but I struggled to find the why. I kept asking myself, is this going anywhere? Is there a point to what I am reading right now? The answer, thankfully, is “yes,” and my advice to anyone feeling a bit confused or doubtful while reading this book is to continue reading.

I ended up appreciating the narrative creativity, strong writing, and interesting thematic explorations in Trust, and I am certain that I would get more out of the novel if I were able to read it again. That said, since I spent significant portions of the book feeling rather disinterested or confused, I cannot give it a super high rating.

Additional Note: The cover of Trust is possibly the best book cover I have ever seen. The image of a Manhattan skyscraper in the glass dome of a stock ticker, with a green background reminiscent of American dollar bills? Magnificent.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like Trust if:

· You appreciate creative narrative structures.

· You are interested in themes of money, power, and relationships.

You might not like Trust if:

· You get bored or impatient easily.

· You are expecting a dramatic, epic story detailing the glitz, glamour, boom, and bust of the Jazz Age: Trust is decidedly not this, and instead is an incredibly intimate story with only a handful of characters.

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