FICTION

Trust

by Hernan Diaz
Riverhead. May 2022. 416p. ISBN 9780593420317. $28. F
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After debuting with the epic Pulitzer Prize finalist novel In the Distance, Diaz returns with pokes at the boundaries of fiction. It’s made of four “subworks” in various states of completion that together shape the tale of a fictional American oligarch, Andrew Bevel, whose skilled stock market manipulations may have caused the Twenties boom and subsequent Great Depression. The first work is a short novel, a fictionalized take of Bevel’s success and his wife’s loss of her grip on reality. The second is ostensibly Bevel’s unfinished autobiography, which he wrote to correct supposed errors in the novel. Actually, it’s written by a ghostwriter, Ida Partenza, whose memoir forms the third work. Last is a memoir fragment by Bevel’s dying wife.
VERDICT Both historical and postmodern, this novel gives readers the task of interpreting its multiple parts and narrators, making it an intriguing, stimulating read. Throughout, Diaz’s stirring prose and unforgettable imagery shine through, notably in his poetic descriptions of high finance. He also holds a mirror up to the oligarchs of our own era, reflecting their greed and fragile egos. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Reba Leiding , Apr 01, 2022
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