TRUST EXERCISES by SUSAN CHOI (2019)

This is a very aptly named novel. On the surface level, the title refers to one of the teaching methods of a charismatic, and perhaps corrupt, teacher at a high school for the performing arts. On another level, it can be applied to the accounts provided by its three unreliable protagonists, none of which can be trusted to be entirely true. For me, at least, the title also describes the interaction between the novelist and the reader. One normally trusts that an author will supply the truth of his or her created situation, or at least strong hints that lead the reader to the truth. In this novel, that truth is not forthcoming. My trust was betrayed.

The first section of the novel is an account, later revealed to be part of a semi-autobiographical novel, of the failed high school romance of David and Sarah. Sarah's trauma is exacerbated by the classroom trust exercises of her drama teacher, who seems to be deriving his own satisfaction from her obvious discomfort. This section is very well done as it successfully mirrors the stormy and chaotic emotions of teenagers and their sexuality.

The next section centers on Karen, one of the secondary characters portrayed in the first account. Her response after reading the above-mentioned novel tells a markedly different version of the events. Choi skillfully changes her tone and word choices in this section to reflect Karen's mental and emotional state, which seems to be verging on the unhinged.

Then comes the surprising third section, which cannot be discussed without including spoilers. Suffice it to say, it provides doubts about the veracity of the previous two accounts.

This is a clever, clever book. It won this year's National Book Award. Nevertheless, I felt cheated when I finished. Perhaps my mind is too literal, but I prefer to feel that I know what really happened when I complete a book. With this one, I didn't know.