Reviews

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

85tarheel's review against another edition

3.0

"We never know, when life reunites us with someone, how closely our stories will match." Reading this book made me think of a documentary from a few years back called THE STORIES WE TELL which was an amazing look at how the stories we tell ourselves about our past are so often not exactly what happened. I found that documentary to be amazing and I wanted this book to be as good. Alas, I think I failed the book because it has gotten plaudits and praise and I found it to be, in the end, not as touching, moving, or coherent as I wanted. I felt like it was WRITTEN, it capital L Literature, and it never connected with me. I felt like I was at a distance and I often was frustrated, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. There were plenty of moments that worked for me and I found myself starting to get the feel of it during the first section (it is essentially divided into 2 large sections with a third very short coda) but right when that happened we switched time and narrator and I lost the flow. Again, I'm willing to say this was a problem on my end, but the lack of an emotional connection to the story took away a lot of the impact. I understand what Ms. Choi was trying to say and I think I understand her reasoning in her style, but it just didn't click for me. There is an important message though, one that resonates through so much of the art I consume, "we’re none of us alone in this world. We injure each other."

bzoetbzoet's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

pauf's review against another edition

3.0

2.5, actually, but that’s not allowed and I’m too nice.

I appreciate the theme and the way the story is told through the fractured mirrors of memory and pain. And yet I found it unnecessarily complex and confusing (ok, I may not be too smart and that’s on me). Also, I did find some parts simply boring.

In the case of this book, I understand both the negative and the positive reviews.

jennydoesnotgetit's review against another edition

1.0

Oh great, another book about teenagers having sex and being mean, often concurrently.

eml898's review against another edition

2.0

The writing was good, but the turns the story took left me confused and the story unresolved.

ashbadash393's review against another edition

3.0

Somehow I was so confused the whole time yet also couldn’t stop reading. I honestly don’t know what to think of this one!

debi_g's review against another edition

Experimentation in artistry can dazzle or fizzle.
I was not dazzled, but I can respect the author’s talent and intent.

courtsport3000's review against another edition

3.0

I don’t even begin to know what to say about this book. Best advice: go in knowing as little as possible.


I’ve never been so uncomfortable while still wanting to continue turning pages in my whole life. I can’t say I enjoyed this, but I was definitely taken on a wild ride. Choi is an extremely talented author.

That’s all I’ve got.

dcmr's review against another edition

2.0

While the writing is strong, the unconventional storytelling asked too much of me.

paracosm's review against another edition

 If you want to listen to graphic descriptions of teenage kids having sex then this is the book for you, definitely not for me