Trust

Postmodern literature employs literary devices such as metafiction, unreliable narration, and incomplete texts to draw the reader’s attention to the constructed nature of fiction. These devices dissolve dichotomies such as fiction versus reality, reminding the reader of the artificial nature of such distinctions. Postmodern literature emphasizes the subjectivity involved in all claims to truth, showing that different characters can see the same events in radically different ways. Each of the four books in Trust represents a subjective perspective that vies for objectivity; the juxtaposition of these four narratives highlights that no one person can lay sole claim to the truth. Truth isn’t fixed but mutable, something one deduces from a series of fragments instead of being handed.

Postmodern literature often challenges established narratives with the intent to provoke thought, demanding an active reader willing to engage with a book’s provocations. Diaz’s first novel, In the Distance, is a reimagining of the Western genre that challenges the ideology underpinning traditional Westerns. Similarly, Trust interrogates the ideology surrounding prosperity and finance, exposing the dark underbelly of boundless wealth. The point is to make readers question how they see wealth and finance and how these concepts are depicted.