I have been seeing Trust by Hernan Diaz everywhere, which always makes me skeptical. Can the novel live up to the hype? In this case, it definitely does.
The book has an interesting structure. Part One is a novel, Bonds (a fictional novel- meaning it exists only as part of this book), that tells the story of an early twentieth century power couple: an obscenely wealthy financier and his philanthropist wife. This novel is compelling in its own right (even if the only dialogue in the book is the word “I.”)
Part Two is a fragmentary, unfinished autobiography of the financier upon which Bonds was based. While the basic outline of the two lives is the same, critical details are different. Well, historical fiction functions like this; yet it is fascinating to see how one tale was constructed from another.
Part Three is a memoir by a writer who once worked as a personal secretary to the financier. She has an entirely different view of the man and only the most obscure vision of the woman.
Part Four is part of a journal kept by the woman.
This is a gorgeous exploration of truth versus fiction with a narrators who are not entirely reliable, both intentionally and unintentionally. It also lays out the corrupting power of money and the manipulation of capital – how greed is justified.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But I count this one as a must-read.
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