Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Trust

An intriguing examination of truth and perspective. It made me remember to question what I think I know and to take every story with a grain of salt and look for kernels of truth. Well written, especially considering the number and layering of voices. The story itself is great, but what is communicated by its presentation is even better. It reads smoothly and the characters are believable.

Content Warnings

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.

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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.”

Content Warnings

kris386's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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