#196 | What Lies Behind the Golden Gates of the Super-Rich?—an Exploration of the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel 'Trust'

episode SUMMARY:

Douglas Vigliotti dives into the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Trust" by Hernan Diaz. With themes of wealth, marriage, and the distortion of truth, Vigliotti discusses the captivating exploration of power, influence, and the super-rich’s ability to bend reality, warp relationships, and shape history. Discover the intricate structure, unique style, and thought-provoking questions that make this novel one of Vigliotti’s favorite reads thus far in 2024 and a must-read for anyone seeking a deep literary experience.

Listen to the episode:

*Subscribe to The Books for Men Newsletter, a monthly round-up of every episode with full book and author info, all the best quotes, and newsletter-only book recommendations!

READ THE TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome back to Books for Men, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do. So this week I have a real treat for you. It's a book that I read just this year. It came out in 2022, I believe, but it was the 2023 Co Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, and that book is Trust by Hernan Diaz. It is a piece of literary fiction. It clocks in at around 415 or 420 pages or so. But before I jump into any more about the book, I just want to remind you that if you're interested in listening to the trailer of season two of Slightly Crooked: Good Stories, Told Well, it is available now on the podcast and it does feature my 2021 poem collection, mini heartbreaks (or little poems about life), which is a mini-memoir of sorts on writing, artistry, alcohol, women missed opportunities growing up and moving forward.

(01:16)

So it's unorthodox in a lot of ways, but it's something that I am proud of in its own way. So if you're curious to hear more about that, then again, you can listen to that trailer on Slightly Crooked: Good Stories, Told Well. Also, if you're a regular listener and you enjoy these episodes, I wanted to remind you that there are two big ways that you could support the podcast, and that is to share it with a friend or a family member or even quicker and easier. You can hit subscribe on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on to double down on that. You can take an extra five seconds, three seconds, I don't know, however long it takes to rate the podcast. Both of these things sharing and subscribing go a long way in helping new listeners find the show and of course, supporting the initiative, which is to inspire more men to read.

(02:10)

Now, let's jump into the episode for the month, which is again, Trust by Hernan Diaz. This is his second novel. His first novel In The Distance was also a Pulitzer finalist that came out in 2017. So he took a little bit of time in between his books, but I could see why, because this is truly a literary feat, at least in my eyes. I can honestly tell you that this is probably the best book that I've read this year, and I know that that's a big statement. I actually went back and checked my reading list. So I track the books that I read so I don't forget them, and I made sure that it was indeed in the top few books that I read this year, it might be the best. There are a couple of books that I really enjoyed this year. But with that being said, it was a really, really good book.

(03:00)

It's one of those books that I could spoil if I tell you too much about it because the structure itself lays out sort of like a puzzle. So you don't know necessarily what the first section is until you read the second section and the second section until you read the third section. And so if I tell you too much about it, I have the ability to ruin the novel. I will try my best not to. But if you want to just read the book and take my word for how good it is, then I would suggest stopping this episode right here and going to do that. So the novel itself for me is so great for two main reasons, really, and that is the structure which I already started to talk a little bit about. It is laid out in such a fun way, in such a challenging and risky way that could be not taken well or if not pulled off.

(04:00)

But clearly, Diaz pulls this off, and that is in four parts. The first being a novel that was popular in the 1930s, and the second being a biography or autobiography written by a wealthy businessman. The third part being a memoir written by the ghostwriter or writer of that said biography. And then the last part being the Diary of the Wife of that wealthy businessman together, these pull off a story that spans from the 1920s to the present day, and each part offers a different point of view and sheds more light on the entire situation, obviously. So the other reason why I really love the novel is because the author Diaz really plays with style and modulates it so well in each part based on whose point of view he is writing from. Even to the degree of using fragments, abbreviations, incomplete thoughts and sentences, and just the modulation of style from part to part is truly remarkable in its own right.

(05:28)

But to put a novel like this together must be so challenging in the fact that he pulls it off with such great sensibilities. It's truly remarkable and dazzling in a way, which is the adjective that keeps coming to mind when I think of this novel. Also, I should say that it's one that I read very fast, so I instantly got into the novel and then didn't want to put it down, and that's always a really good sign. I'm sure that's something you gathered based on the fact that I led this by saying it's one of, if not my favorite novel of mine that I read this year so far. So some of the themes that this novel tackles are wealth, marriage, and distortion of truth, especially surrounding the rich. I think that one of the really unique aspects of this book is it gives you a lens into how distorted the truth can be about the super wealthy, not just in our perspective of them, but in their ability to bend and align reality because of the power, influence, and money that they have.

(06:43)

I chose the words “bend and align reality” because that is something that comes up pretty heavily in the novel utilizing those words exactly. But there's another quote that depicts this very well that comes up in the book in the third part, and it goes: “The closer one is to a source of power, the quieter it gets. Authority and money surround themselves with silence, and one can measure the reach of someone's influence by the thickness of the hush enveloping them.” To me, this is just an interesting angle to look at the wealthy, and this book does a really good job of exploring that in a very deep way. The other thing that it really brings to light is the power of fiction to distort reality. So combining a lot of the things that I had just mentioned, there's this undercurrent of how fiction stories, and I use air quotes here, non-reality distorts our vision of popular, famous, or influential people in either a good way or a bad way.

(08:02)

This novel really puts a light on that and draws a lot of attention to that idea, and again, explores it in a very deep and captivating way. This idea rings true with a quote. The imaginary events in that piece of fiction now have a stronger presence in the real world than the actual facts of my life. And then the last thematical element that I already mentioned briefly, but I wanted to talk a little bit more about here before I close up this episode is relationships and what happens behind closed doors and the agreements that couples make with each other, and how much do we really know about couples or people and the relationships with other people? I think that this novel does a great job at playing with that, and it only gets deeper and deeper and deeper as you read the work and it gets more complex and more interesting.

(09:05)

And I can't help but mention that word again in sensibilities. Diaz feels to me so spot on with the decisions that he makes in this book and this narrative, which again, don't really need my approval because they have been critically acclaimed to probably the highest regard, not something that I always rely on, but at the same time, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it or feel like it gets the acclaim that it deserves because I do believe it's that good. So there are so many great lines and questions that this book asks, like, “If you enjoy your work or profit from it, how could you be sure you're truly doing it for others and not yourself?” That question to me is one to meditate on, or this one, “As always, he mistakes doubt with depth, hesitation with analysis.” Again, something to really think about and consider perhaps even with your own life.

(10:11)

But there's one line among the many lines that I've pulled out of the text itself and noted in my notes that stands out and really hit me. At first, it seems literal, but the metaphor in it is so powerful and impactful. And the line is, “Sun stain on blanket. Each particle of light has traveled from the sun to my feet. How can something so small have made it so far?” And I'm not going to spoil the quote by hammering it to death. If you read the book, it will hit home if it hasn't already, or at least I think it will. Alright, so that's all I've got. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Again, as I led off with, if you did, please remember to subscribe or share the podcast because doing either will help more new listeners find the show as well as support the initiative to inspire more men to read.

(11:10)

You can always connect with me on Instagram at Douglas Vili. It's the only social media that I have. And lastly, for more information, you could always visit BooksforMen.org where you can get full transcripts for all of these episodes. As well as sign up for the monthly newsletter, which is just one email every single month that rounds up every episode from that month with full book and author information, episode summaries, all the key quotes, and newsletter-only book recommendations. So again, if you're interested in signing up for that, all you have to do is head over to BooksforMen.org.