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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: Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Medical content
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, Mental illness, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sfbookgirl's review against another edition
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: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Alcohol
kris386's review against another edition
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: Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
ruth12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
feebles640's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death
Moderate: Terminal illness and Grief
honeyreads1066's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
2.75
I think I was expecting more from this book than I originally got.
I was intrigued to see that this book is technically 4 novellas as it consists of a novel, autobiography, memoir, and journal, and yet I think I only really connected to the memoir and the novel. I was not aware of it going in, but that is just my lack of research on the book. Though I was pleasantly surprised with the dramatics that the first section of the book entailed and confused with what I thought was only the beginning but was instead the ending to the novel's first part.
Despite this, I carried on reading, intrigued by how the rest of the book would play out, but until about 1/4 of the way through the memoir, I was really dragging my feet trying to get through it. The idea is that the complete truth of the story of this couple must be discovered by the reader as they read each section. Despite this, I felt that the only truth needed was the journal at the end, and I ended up taking that as the complete truth. I do think it was interesting how each part did reveal different aspects to paint a complete picture.
With each different perspective, the characters changed and thus it was hard to get a good read on what they truly were like, but I think that was the point. By seeing these characters from a range of different perspectives, they become more human.
Overall, this just wasn't what I was expecting and my interest was waning a lot during this read, but I appreciated what it was trying to achieve. While I would not recommend it, I recognise that I did find it interesting enough to finish.
I was intrigued to see that this book is technically 4 novellas as it consists of a novel, autobiography, memoir, and journal, and yet I think I only really connected to the memoir and the novel. I was not aware of it going in, but that is just my lack of research on the book. Though I was pleasantly surprised with the dramatics that the first section of the book entailed and confused with what I thought was only the beginning but was instead the ending to the novel's first part.
Despite this, I carried on reading, intrigued by how the rest of the book would play out, but until about 1/4 of the way through the memoir, I was really dragging my feet trying to get through it. The idea is that the complete truth of the story of this couple must be discovered by the reader as they read each section. Despite this, I felt that the only truth needed was the journal at the end, and I ended up taking that as the complete truth. I do think it was interesting how each part did reveal different aspects to paint a complete picture.
With each different perspective, the characters changed and thus it was hard to get a good read on what they truly were like, but I think that was the point. By seeing these characters from a range of different perspectives, they become more human.
Overall, this just wasn't what I was expecting and my interest was waning a lot during this read, but I appreciated what it was trying to achieve. While I would not recommend it, I recognise that I did find it interesting enough to finish.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
orla_h's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Cancer and Mental illness
Minor: Bullying, Stalking, and Alcohol
deedireads's review against another edition
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: Cancer and Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny and Medical content
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
Trust is a structurally very clever book. It’s almost like four books in one, but each is in conversation with the others adding more to the reader’s understanding of the plot, characters and themes. It’s a very imperfect metaphor but I was reminded a little of Russian nesting dolls as I read - a new layer was always being revealed. What begins as the story of a reclusive couple Benjamin Trask, a 1920s Wall Street tycoon and his intelligent, eccentric wife Helen, then becomes another story, and then yet another. But in no way was it a difficult book to follow or comprehend. I loved the way it explored themes like wealth and power, the agency of women, mental health, science and, most especially, trust. Who gets to tell stories - and who doesn’t ? Are there different versions of the same story? Whose story (information) should we trust? Can we trust the story we tell ourself about our own life? Who should we trust with the economy? Who should we trust with our life? So much meaty food for thought but in such a clever yet palatable package. The storytelling was excellent with beautiful prose overall yet different voices, styles and genres for each book within the book.
I was going to pass on this book. The story of a business tycoon didn’t appeal. But then I read the review by @time4reading which showed me the book was about so much more than that and made me eager to pick it up. I’m really glad I did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
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