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kirstym25's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Cancer, Medical content, and Misogyny
notartgarfunkel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Cancer, Stalking, and Terminal illness
Minor: Grief, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sfbookgirl's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Trust is incredible and it deserves all of the hype. This is my first book by Hernan Diaz and now I need to go back and read In the Distance, his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Diaz’s writing style is so succinct, unique, and adaptable to varying scenarios. In Trust, Diaz presents four different tales about New York in the 1920s and the infamous stock market crash. Each of these stories revolves around similar people, but the way in which they are presented is incredible. The primary characters in Trust are Benjamin and Helen Rask. Benjamin is a Wall Street tycoon who uses his extreme intellect to acquire an immense fortune and manage to avoid the wrath of the stock market crash.
But Benjamin and Helen’s tale is only one version of the story. In the end, we don’t really know whom to trust to tell the truth. The way in which each of these four seemingly separate stories come together is incredibly fun to discover. Each of the voices in these four stories are so different, which is what makes Diaz’s writing truly remarkable. He is truly in a league of his own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Mental illness, Cancer, and Death
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Alcohol
kris386's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Medical content
Moderate: Death
Minor: Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Alcohol
deedireads's review
challenging
reflective
medium-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
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Trust is a creatively executed novel about perceived power and who gets to tell history. It stuck with me for days after I finished, and I was extremely impressed.
For you if: You like a literary puzzle, and books with unique structures.
FULL REVIEW:
I was curious about Trust because people are talking about it as a possible Booker Prize contender. I’m SO glad I picked it up. It took me some time to process its impressiveness, but ultimately I loved it. (That’s a little intimidating to say because Booker-esque readers tend to have polarizing opinions that they aren’t afraid to yell about, but Roxane Gay called it “sublime, and richly layered,” so I feel like I’m in good company.)
The format of the book is most notable: Told in four “books” (a novel, an incomplete autobiography, a memoir, and a journal), it introduces us, in multiple ways and from multiple angles, to a couple who became (even more) extraordinarily wealthy during the Great Depression. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the reading experience, but suffice to say that this is a book about power and its tenuousness, and history, and what wealth masks, and what “great” men convince themselves of, and who tells the story.
It’s a very readable book, but with subtle layers that keep you engaged and worm their way into your brain for days after you’ve finished. It comes together so gracefully that it’s almost easy to dismiss as simple. But on the other hand, after I finished it, I immediately opened my Notes app and paced around my apartment while jotting down impressions and thoughts — so, there’s that! Diaz has a lot of respect for the reader and gives them space to reflect on all the layers beneath (or that ripple out from?) the main “reveal.” This would make an absolutely incredible book club book; I can’t wait to talk about it with more people.
Last thing I’ll say: You’re going to hear a lot of comparisons to Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, which I feel like people either loved or hated. The comparison here is because of the format; the voice(s) and themes are completely different. So if you weren’t a fan of Trust Exercise, don’t let that sway you away from reading Trust.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Trust is a creatively executed novel about perceived power and who gets to tell history. It stuck with me for days after I finished, and I was extremely impressed.
For you if: You like a literary puzzle, and books with unique structures.
FULL REVIEW:
I was curious about Trust because people are talking about it as a possible Booker Prize contender. I’m SO glad I picked it up. It took me some time to process its impressiveness, but ultimately I loved it. (That’s a little intimidating to say because Booker-esque readers tend to have polarizing opinions that they aren’t afraid to yell about, but Roxane Gay called it “sublime, and richly layered,” so I feel like I’m in good company.)
The format of the book is most notable: Told in four “books” (a novel, an incomplete autobiography, a memoir, and a journal), it introduces us, in multiple ways and from multiple angles, to a couple who became (even more) extraordinarily wealthy during the Great Depression. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the reading experience, but suffice to say that this is a book about power and its tenuousness, and history, and what wealth masks, and what “great” men convince themselves of, and who tells the story.
It’s a very readable book, but with subtle layers that keep you engaged and worm their way into your brain for days after you’ve finished. It comes together so gracefully that it’s almost easy to dismiss as simple. But on the other hand, after I finished it, I immediately opened my Notes app and paced around my apartment while jotting down impressions and thoughts — so, there’s that! Diaz has a lot of respect for the reader and gives them space to reflect on all the layers beneath (or that ripple out from?) the main “reveal.” This would make an absolutely incredible book club book; I can’t wait to talk about it with more people.
Last thing I’ll say: You’re going to hear a lot of comparisons to Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, which I feel like people either loved or hated. The comparison here is because of the format; the voice(s) and themes are completely different. So if you weren’t a fan of Trust Exercise, don’t let that sway you away from reading Trust.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Cancer
Moderate: Misogyny and Medical content
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