Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

work took him from one plantation to another, and he was always supervising rolling rooms or visiting business associates in Virginia, North Carolina, and the Caribbean. He even owned a small hacienda in Cuba, where he passed the greater part of each winter. Rumors concerning his life on the island established his reputation as an adventurer with a taste for the exotic, which was an asset in his line of business.

Mrs. Wilhelmina Rask never set foot on her husband's Cuban estate. She, too, was absent from New York for long stretches, leaving as soon as Solomon returned and staying at her friends' summerhouses on the east bank of the Hudson or their cottages in Newport for entire seasons. The only visible thing she shared with Solomon was a passion for cigars, which she smoked compulsively. This being a very uncommon source of pleasure for a lady, she would only indulge in private, in the company of her girl-friends. But this was no impediment, since she was surrounded by them at all times. Willie, as those in her set called her, was part of a tightly knit group of women who seemed to constitute a sort of nomadic tribe. They were not only from New York but also from Washington, Philadelphia, Providence, Boston, and even as far as Chicago. They moved as a pack, visiting one another's houses and vacation homes according to the seasons-West 17th Street became the coterie's abode for a few months, starting in late September, when Solomon left for his hacienda. Still, no matter in what part of the country the ladies happened to dwell, the clique invariably kept to itself in an impenetrable circle.

Limited, for the most part, to his and his nursemaids' rooms, Benjamin had only a vague notion of the rest of the brownstone where he grew up. When his mother and her friends were there, he was kept away from the rooms where they smoked, played cards, and drank Sauternes well into the night; when they were gone, the main floors became a dim succession of s

of fiction. This unquestionably smart and sophisticated novel not only mirrors truth, but helps us to better understand it. The Boston Globe

"Ingenious...challenges conventional story lines of another favorite American theme: capitalism and the accumulation of vast wealth Diaz employs his inventive structure to offer intriguing insights into the hidden roles played by subservient women." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"The world of Trust feels very close to our own...This book is a reminder that wealth isn t a treasure chest and the rich aren t magical, no matter how dramatically they shape the world. It s all just money, made by real people, with very real, often dangerous implications." Vanity Fair

Rich and prismatic Wall Street Journal

  The only certainty here is Diaz s brilliance and the value of his rewarding book In execution it s an elegant, irresistible puzzle. The Washington Post

Wondrous Diaz is brilliant at dissecting literary conventions and transforming them into something new. The New York Review of Books

Through perfectly formed sentences and the skilful unpicking of certainties, Trust creates a great portrait of New York across an entire century of change . . . a work possessed of real power and purpose . . . It s a testament to Diaz s cunning abilities as a writer that you end his book thinking that if truth is your goal you might be better off relying on a novelist than a banker. Jonathan Lee, The Guardian (UK)
 
Sharp and affecting . . . Diaz s great subject is the scale of American mythmaking . . . It is in his ugly-beautiful portrait of great wealth that Diaz shows his brilliance . . . In this literary Rubik s Cube, Diaz provides a viable, and hugely entertaining, argument that once a pen is put to paper an element of veracity is always lost. And when money is thrown into the mix, then the lies really multiply. Financial Times (UK)

An absolutely brilliant novel A wily jackalope of a novel tame but prickly, a different beast from every angle The setup is so shrewd and the writing so immaculate."  Los Angeles Times

Hernan Diaz, one of the least derivative, most eccentrically ambitious fiction writers I ve read in a long while. Jonathan Dee in Harper s Magazine

Trust proves that Diaz is a writer of singular talent. This book is a kaleidoscopic dazzler that works as both an engrossing literary mystery and a capitalistic takedown for the ages. Don t miss it. Chicago Review of Books

"A multifaceted saga of class, wealth, and mythmaking that should resonate with today s capitalism-questioning readers. The Philadelphia Inquirer

A uniquely layered novel Each page peels back another mystery, making for an utterly riveting read. Buzzfeed

Like a tower of gifts waiting to be unwrapped, Trust offers a multitude of rewards to be discovered and enjoyed   [a] beautifully composed masterpiece." BookPage, STARRED review
 
For all its elegant complexity and brilliant construction, Diaz's novel is compulsively readable, and despite taking place in the early 1900s, the plot reads like an indictment of the start of the twenty-first century with its obsession with obscure financial instruments and unhinged capital accumulation. A captivating tour de force that will astound readers with its formal invention and contemporary relevance." Booklist, STARRED review

[A] kaleidoscope of capitalism run amok in the early 20th century . . . Grounded in history and formally ambitious, this succeeds on all fronts. Once again, Diaz makes the most of his formidable gifts. Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

A feat of literary gamesmanship [that] brilliantly weaves its multiple perspectives to create a symphony of emotional effects . . . [T]he collection of palimpsests makes for a thrilling experience ...A clever and affecting high-concept novel of high finance. Kirkus, STARRED review

Hernan Diaz is a narrative genius whose work easily encompasses both a grand scope and the crisp and whiplike line. Trust builds its world and characters with subtle aplomb. What a radiant, profound and moving novel. Lauren Groff, New York Times bestselling author of Matrix
 
Diaz understands, and deeply, how strange money is, as an omnipotent and imaginary substance that controls our lives. Trust glints with wonder and knowledge and mystery. Its plotlines are as etched and surreal as Art Deco geometry, while inside that architecture are people who feel appallingly real. This novel is very classical and very original: Balzac would be proud, but so would Borges. Rachel Kushner, New York Times bestselling author of The Mars Room

That rare jewel of a book jaw-dropping storytelling against the backdrop of beautiful writing. Amidst all the noise in the world, whole days found me curled up on the couch, lost inside Diaz s brilliance. Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Red at the Bone

Though set in a historical New York, Trust speaks to matters of the most urgent significance to the present day. Money, power, class, marital and filial relations, the roles played by trust and betrayal in human affairs Diaz s development of his chosen themes is deeply insightful. Cleverly constructed and rich in surprises, this splendid novel offers serious ideas and serious pleasures on every beautifully composed page.   Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award winning author of The Friend

Sublime, richly layered novel. A story within a story within a story. Elegantly written. Roxane Gay, bestselling author of Difficult Women
 
The audacity and scope of Hernan Diaz s extraordinary novel a prism, a mystery, a revelation are brilliantly matched by the quality of his prose. Jean Strouse, author of Morgan: American Financier
 
"What a joy this is to read, suspenseful at every turn, the work of a rare and impressive talent. Diaz has once again taken apart an American myth and pondered how we lie to ourselves. Joan Silber, National Book Critics Circle Award winning author of Improvement