Friday Afternoon Book Club – Trust by Hernan Diaz

Our August book club is sure to generate a thoughtful discussion on Hernan Diaz’s sweeping novel, and Pulitzer Prize, Trust.

Amidst the glamour and exuberance of 1920s New York, Benjamin and Helen Rask are household names. He’s a towering figure in finance, a Wall Street titan; she’s the refined daughter of reclusive aristocrats. Together, they epitomize high society and unimaginable wealth—just as the decade’s dizzying extravagance begins to teeter on the edge of collapse. But how did they truly amass their fortune? And at what hidden cost?

This enigma lies at the core of Bonds, a bestselling 1937 novel that captivates New York’s elite. Yet, behind this version of events are competing accounts—other voices, other truths—that complicate the story and challenge its authority.

In Trust, Hernan Diaz weaves these narratives into a masterful, layered literary puzzle. As a determined woman seeks to unravel the myths and distortions surrounding the Rasks’ legacy, the novel becomes a riveting meditation on money, power, truth, and manipulation. Spanning generations, Trust is both a gripping historical narrative and an ingenious exploration of how stories are told—and who gets to tell them.