Reader Review: "Trust"
by Tony Conty (Parkville, MD): "Trust" by Hernan Diaz is a lot. "Books within books" test your abilities, and you must reread a lot. That doesn't mean it isn't worth the work. You will feel more competent when you finish. The main character, Benjamin Rask, is wealthy and mysterious, earning a great deal on the market but remaining disdainful of excessive wealth.
The novel picks up when we learn about mental illness, solitude, and the 1929 stock market crash. Benjamin Rask navigates it so well that some of his peers hold him responsible. The part that the reader forgets is that you are reading a fictional novel about a fictional story, leaving you to doubt the reliability of the narrator and the "facts" that he presents.
When one "story" ends and another begins, the confusion doubles. You have to meet and absorb a lot of new characters, and you will not get the point right away, but the reveal is rewarding. Men in the business world will respond well to the financial aspects divulged and how they tie in with the familial strife presented by the author.
Since the novel spans a century, you will identify with some parts more than others. The third "novel" by Ida Partenza speaks of life as an Italian immigrant at the turn of the century, and I wanted more of that. For this reason, the book requires patience, but you have my word that it is worth it. A little knowledge of the stock market wouldn't hurt, though.
Novels like "Trust" do not come around often because one could easily do them poorly. You have to do a great deal to keep the stories straight; your enjoyment will depend on how intriguing the story is. I found the presentation of contradicting facts interesting, but you had to re-learn everything.
by Tony Conty (Parkville, MD): "Trust" by Hernan Diaz is a lot. "Books within books" test your abilities, and you must reread a lot. That doesn't mean it isn't worth the work. You will feel more competent when you finish. The main character, Benjamin Rask, is wealthy and mysterious, earning a great deal on the market but remaining disdainful of excessive wealth.
The novel picks up when we learn about mental illness, solitude, and the 1929 stock market crash. Benjamin Rask navigates it so well that some of his peers hold him responsible. The part that the reader forgets is that you are reading a fictional novel about a fictional story, leaving you to doubt the reliability of the narrator and the "facts" that he presents.
When one "story" ends and another begins, the confusion doubles. You have to meet and absorb a lot of new characters, and you will not get the point right away, but the reveal is rewarding. Men in the business world will respond well to the financial aspects divulged and how they tie in with the familial strife presented by the author.
Since the novel spans a century, you will identify with some parts more than others. The third "novel" by Ida Partenza speaks of life as an Italian immigrant at the turn of the century, and I wanted more of that. For this reason, the book requires patience, but you have my word that it is worth it. A little knowledge of the stock market wouldn't hurt, though.
Novels like "Trust" do not come around often because one could easily do them poorly. You have to do a great deal to keep the stories straight; your enjoyment will depend on how intriguing the story is. I found the presentation of contradicting facts interesting, but you had to re-learn everything.
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