67 pages 2 hours read

Trust

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Book Club Questions

Trust

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

  • Which of the novel’s four books did you enjoy most and why?
  • Did you approach this text as a postmodern novel or a historical fiction novel? How did this expectation prime your reading of the text? Did you find yourself surprised by the text?
  • Do you have a favorite character? Because of the shifting nature of reality in this novel, did your favorite change as the novel went on?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

  • Because this novel presents the same characters, shown throughout different authors in different genres, the representations of single characters varies greatly across the parts. Which representations did you identify with most or find most interesting?
  • While the reader does not ultimately know the truth, who do you “trust” most characters across all four parts? Why?
  • Because the four parts contradict one another and sometimes present mutually exclusive information, the reader sees that perception is subjective. What is an example of this in the text? Have you ever felt like you have perceived something (an event or person) drastically different than someone else?
  • The novel features characters whose sense of the world is distorted by the pursuit, promise, and acquisition of wealth. Do you believe wealth is an inherently corrupting force, or can it be used for good?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

  • How does power work in this novel, and what types of actions, identities, and social conduct lead to the accumulation of power? Does this relate at all to how power is accrued in the modern day in your society?
  • How do gender politics work in this book, particularly considering the novel’s setting (New York in the early 20th century) and the topics of finance and investing? How does this compare to today? How does the unfolding of the mysteries surrounding Mildred trouble the patriarchal actions of many of the characters?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

  • How does the novel’s split into four distinct books highlight the novel’s main topics and themes? (For instance: artifice, manipulation, truth, etc.)
  • In terms of the novel’s structure, why do you believe the four parts are laid out in the order they are? How would the novel’s meaning change if the parts were structured differently?
  • How do the characters of the Bevels differ from their fictional counterparts, the Rasks? What human aspects to their character are not (or cannot) be fictionalized, and what is the effect on these differing representations?
  • The genres of the novel’s four parts are: a pseudo-fictional novel, an unfinished autobiography, a finished memoir, and a diary. What are the affordances of each genre? That is, what does each genre allow its writer to do? How does each genre allow its writer to tell a story? How are these affordances demonstrated through the plot of each part?
  • One of the novel’s themes is the idea that truth, fact, and fiction as concepts are artifice. Considering the book’s characters, structure, and themes, do you think the reader is urged to decide who to “trust” (to borrow the novel’s title)? Or are they urged to embrace ambiguity?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

  • This novel presents four parts, each with a different genre and author, and each with a different version of the truth. If you had to create a fifth part to this book, who would tell it and what would it say?
  • Do you believe this novel is able to be adapted into a visual media, like film or television? If you oversaw the adaptation, what would your strategy be for handling the novel’s four parts?

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