‘Trust’ by Hernan Diaz Captures a Pulitzer Prize for Literature with Its Four Nested Novels Inside
Trust is a 2022 novel by Hernan Díaz, published by Riverhead Books and later co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction—marking the first time two winners were named in the same year, alongside Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead.
Structure & Story
The novel is ingeniously structured as four nested documents — each a different narrative lens on the same characters:
- Bonds – A third-person novel by fictional author Harold Vanner featuring Benjamin Rask, a brilliant financier, and his younger wife, Helen, whose involvement in creating and collapsing financial markets is shrouded in mystery.
- My Life – An unfinished autobiography by the financier himself (paralleling Rask, here named Andrew Bevel), written defensively to correct public perception.
- A Memoir, Remembered – A reflective memoir by Ida Partenza, Bevel’s secretary, looking back decades later and offering a fresh, critical perspective on what may truly have happened.
- Futures (the diary) – A primary-source–style account that further complicates—and in some senses resolves—the narrative’s ambiguity.
This layered storytelling invites readers to “play detective,” sifting through conflicting accounts to uncover the elusive truth.
Themes & Style
- Wealth and Capital: Díaz said he wanted to explore the process of capital accumulation and its societal impact, beyond class struggles.
- Narrative Authority and Erasure: The novel scrutinizes who gets to tell history—and whose voices are erased. Women, in particular, are often omitted from narratives of financial power; Ida and Mildred Bevel emerge as the true intellectual forces in the story.
- Metafictional Craft: The book intentionally shifts styles—from society novel to memoir to journalistic essay—creating an intricate, prismatic narrative.
Reception & Recognition
Acclaim:
- Won the Kirkus Prize for Fiction (2022) and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2023).
- Longlisted for the Booker Prize (2022).
- Included in year-end best-of lists by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, TIME, The New Yorker, and others—all naming it among the 10 Best Books of 2022
- Ranked #50 on The New York Times list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (2024).
Critical Praise:
- Washington Post applauded its intricate puzzle structure: “elegant, irresistible,” a demonstration of how history and biography are constructed.
- The Guardian described it as a powerful look at New York across changing eras and the ironies of wealth.
Reader Reactions
Mixed—but thoughtful:
“I really enjoyed it… The same story … told from different perspectives… I found it very gratifying.”
“On my way to looking for light summer reading… I wouldn’t call it light, but it is well written and was hard to put down.”
Yet not all found it engaging:
“I can’t fail to be impressed with Diaz writing skill… Then for that to be followed by another dry fairly tedious account just pushed me to my limits.”
“The ending is too predictable … it should have been left ambiguous for the reader to puzzle out.”
Final Thoughts
Trust is a bold, multi-layered exploration of wealth, narrative, and power. It challenges readers to question who controls the stories we believe—and how those stories reflect or distort reality. With its stylistic ambition and thematic depth, it’s no surprise the novel has sparked both high praise and spirited debate.