Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By: Hernan Diaz

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò, Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2022

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 BOOKER PRIZE

“Buzzy and enthralling …A glorious novel about empires and erasures, husbands and wives, staggering fortunes and unspeakable misery…Fun as hell to read.”—Oprah Daily

"A genre-bending, time-skipping story about New York City’s elite in the roaring ’20s and Great Depression."—Vanity Fair

“A riveting story of class, capitalism, and greed.”—Esquire

"Exhilarating.”—New York Times

Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they have risen to the very top of a world of seemingly endless wealth—all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.

Hernan Diaz’s TRUST elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another—and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.

At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, TRUST engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts.

©2022 Hernan Diaz (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Intricate, cunning and consistently surprising…Much of the novel's pleasure derives from its unpredictabiility...Add Henry James to Wharton, and Thomas Mann too...Exhilarating and intelligent novel.”—New York Times

“Luminous… Masterful… The drama lies in trying to puzzle out where Diaz will take you next, what’s been hidden, and why.”—The New Yorker

“A rip-roaring, razor-sharp dissection of capitalism, class, greed, and the meaning of money itself that also manages to be a dazzling feat of storytelling on its own terms… Important and timely. But the uniquely brilliant way in which Diaz tells that story, as meticulously researched as it is narratively exhilarating, makes it a novel not just for the present age but for the ages.”—Vogue

Before Purchasing

Thinking carefully before purchasing this audiobook. The plot (if there was one) is incomprehensible. If you prefer to hear 4 separate novels, then you will be just fine. This is not the sort of audiobook you can have on in the background while doing something else. There is no warning when the book changes and unless you are exclusively dedicating your time to this audiobook, you will get lost. Too much time is spent discussing characters relatives who play no significant part in

Long buildup to tepid ending

As others have pointed out, this novel is in four sections, representing four perspectives on the same events. Each narrator tailored the recounting to his own benefit, and the author wrote each in a different style. Beyond illustrating human vanity, I didn’t find a deeper meaning, nor did the story become more captivating — simply a rehashing, without resolution. Writing is very good; narration is very good (I recognized Audm voices); but no plot carries this home.

Another GREAT Diaz Novel

Trust was one of my most anticipated books of this year as I loved Diaz's In The Distance. I'm glad I avoided all reviews and discussion of this book prior to reading it as its odd (to me) structure was a surprise and I had no knowledge of the plot or characters going in. I pounced on the Audible version as I had a road trip scheduled and was looking forward to getting lost in a great novel as the miles ticked by. It WAS great! Audible used four different narrators, one for each section of the book, matching the respective points of view of the particular section. The voice and tone of the narrators were great matches for the characters they represented.

I can't recall ever reading a book structured as Trust was. Basically four different perspective of the same events - primarily the boom in wealth and stock market, and subsequent 1929 crash of the market - centered around a successful financier, Andrew Bevel and his wife, Mildred.

The first section is a novel within the novel, called Bonds, which happens to be about a successful 20th century financier named Benjamin Rask and his wife, Helen. The second section is Andrew Bevel's autobiography. The third section is the memoir of a woman named Ida Partenza who Bevel hires to help him flesh out and embellish his autobiography. The fourth section is written by Mildred Bevel.

In each subsequent section you learn more about the Bevels personally and what made Andrew so successful on Wall Street. I felt that the novel got better as it went on as I had no idea where it was going for the first half or so. The third and fourth sections really ramped up my interest as a number of revelations were made about the Bevels. By the end I was bowled over, especially looking back at what I had just heard and how Diaz set it all up.

You don't need to be interested in Wall Street to enjoy this novel, although knowledge of stocks, bonds, futures, etc. makes some of jargon understandable. It's really a novel about perceptions.

Just like in In The Distance, the writing is excellent and just flows, and the story-telling is fantastic. Five stars.

Excellent!

this complex story--told from 3 or 4 perspectives--reveals much about capitalism in the 1900s---and how money flows to the top. there is much wisdom here--about a robber baron (fictional)--and how he sees himself--vs. how he was--well--I will not give the surprise away!
as usual--E. Ballerini (my #1 favorite reader) does a fine job reading the first lengthy chapter. listened to it on an 8-hour drive yesterday. this is a very "literary" book. reminds me of Faulkner in its multi-perspective approach. a powerful story of "the American Century."

pulitzer schmulitzer

I should have known whenever I get attracted to book based upon accolades watch out. i have two reviews to write for this book. one for the book itself which I kept listening to you hoping that the story would go somewhere and it wasn't just a collection of talesi that didn't really have any cohesion.. but finally gave up...
and thought at least I can return it for a credit at audible but I was fooled twice once by this very boring very third party droll tale that went nowhere and the second time by audible who said I couldn't return it even though I paid full price or full credit boo for you pulitzer and you audible...

Engrossing but be careful who you trust

The secrets behind the fortunes of a mega-rich financier unfold in a set of 4 documents (books, journals) that report the same events from different vantages and with different levels of fabrication versus candor. The pieces come together in a richly satisfying way. Each section is read by a different narrator; all are effective in bringing the book to life.

Illusions

This is not always an easy book to read but it is well worth it. It is also difficult to review without giving too much away. I read the reviews on NPR and The NYTIMES but until you read the book in full they don’t explain the full amount. The title of my review is illusion and that is at the heart of the book. We don’t always understand if it is only about money and the market or if they are even broader. I highly recommend reading it to find out.

Great narrators. Great story

Very interesting concept in how the different sections tied together. Great to see a fictional take on certain aspects of capitalism. Allows more room to play with the ideas mostly found in nonfiction books

THE FRIENDLESS ECONOMIST

An economist-financier survives the crash of 1929. Blocked by his ego, he is a loner in all affairs.

I found Trust to be a wordy, complicated read/listen for the message it sends.
Narration was fair.

A must read.

Brilliant concept and the merging of the stories is flawless. The author is a gifted wordsmith.