When I was young, I remember my mother telling me about the trailblazing movie Rashomon (full disclosure – I tried to watch it and never got through it!). Filmed in 1950, it tells the same story from four points of view, demonstrating the power of subjectivity and perspective in how we understand and make sense of events in our lives. Trust, the outstanding Pulitzer winning novel by Hernan Diaz, has a similar quality.
Each of the four parts of the book are built around the life of a gilded age couple, yet each chapter is written in a different genre or point of view. The first is their story as a novella, the second is the husband’s attempted memoir, the third from the point of view of a young woman who worked in the couple’s house (though told from her old age), and the final is the wife’s memoir. At the simplest level, what made the book so extraordinary was the way our understanding of the characters unfold through each section. It was so fascinating to think I knew a character, or to find my understanding upended, and then upended again in a subsequent section. Moreover, each section was written in a different genre and voice, which added depth and variety to the novel, and further empowered the perspective taking. Both the interesting structure and variety of genres are a testament to Diaz’s skill as a writer and artist.
Beneath all of this is a story about money and its influence on our lives, the power it yields – and also takes away. This message was powerfully and painfully delivered. It is also about the stories we tell ourselves – the one’s told with honesty, and the illusions we embrace.
I should note that I’m still not clear why Diaz chose this as the title of the book. I read about it online, but did not find any of the explanations convincing. One thought is that we as readers trust the storyteller, which of course is meant to be ironic given the different perspectives presented in the novel. Or it’s meant to question the trust we have in our own narratives, recognizing them as all incomplete and naturally biased.
This was a great book, and well deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.
Just Because I Liked It:
- I’m generally a fan of Sam Harris, and found his interview with Graeme Wood about Israel and Hamas particularly thoughtful. Wood has reported on the Middle East, and ISIS in particular, for many years. He’s nuanced, calm and seems well balanced. Harris continues to make the powerful point about the lack of moral equivalence between what Hamas has done, and Israel’s response. This may not be news to our community, but I find it fascinating when discussed and defended by others.
- Given other priorities, I haven’t posted anything lately about the deleterious effects of cell phones on our kids (and maybe on us as well! Please take a look at this recent article about what happens when we allow cellphones in our learning environment.
- And now for something completely different! Take a listen to this interview with the polymath Ada Palmer. Her academic interests are around censorship and the Renaissance period, but she also authors fantasy novels, is an expert in anime, and is a musician. Where does she find the time!