April 26 Meeting - "Trust" by Hernán Diaz

Last August, our colleague Marta published a fascinating post on this blog sharing her thoughts on the book we're reading this month. If you'd like to delve into all the nuances of this story, click here to read the Marta's contribution post about "Trust" - My Own View .

Sections of this post (click to go)

1. The Author
2. The Book
3. Videos
4. Discussion Questions
5. Financial Vocabulary
6. Mini Financial Timeline: 1929
7. List of Characters  - Who's Who in "Trust"

1. The Author

Hernán Díaz was born in Buenos Aires in 1973 and grew up between Argentina and Sweden before settling in the United States. He is a novelist and scholar whose work often explores wealth, power, identity, and narrative form. Díaz earned a PhD from New York University and has taught at several institutions.

His debut novel, In the Distance (2017), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and established him as a bold and innovative literary voice. However, his second novel, Trust, marked a turning point in his career. Published in 2022, the book received widespread critical acclaim and won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Trust significantly elevated Díaz’s international reputation. The novel’s ambitious structure and its exploration of capitalism, financial power, and authorship positioned him as one of the most intellectually daring contemporary writers. The success of Trust confirmed his status as a major figure in 21st-century literary fiction.

2. The Book

Source: Amazon

In the triumphant 1920s, Benjamin Rask and his wife Helen dominate New York: he, a financial magnate who has amassed a fortune; she, the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. But as the decade draws to a close, and their excesses reveal a dark side, suspicion begins to surround the Rasks…

This is the starting point of “Bonds” (the first part of the book Trust), a bestselling 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read, and which tells a story that can, however, be told in several other ways.

Trust is divided into four interconnected parts, each offering a different version of the same story and challenging the reader’s understanding of truth and authorship.

The first part, Bonds, is a fictional 1930s novel written by Harold Vanner. It tells the story of Benjamin Rask, a wealthy financier, and his wife Helen, portraying them as distant and tragic figures. That is an external and possibly sensationalist version.

The second part, My Life, is an unfinished autobiography written by Andrew Bevel, a powerful Wall Street magnate who clearly resembles Rask. Bevel seeks to correct what he considers the false portrayal of his life in Vanner’s novel, it is an attempt to control the narrative.

The third part, A Memoir, Remembered, is narrated by Ida Partenza, Bevel’s secretary. She recounts how she was hired to ghostwrite Bevel’s autobiography and gradually uncovers the hidden role of his wife, Mildred. That is a critical outsider's perspective.

The fourth part consists of Mildred Bevel’s private diary, which offers her own fragmented perspective. Together, the four texts reveal how wealth shapes not only history, but also the stories we believe. Mildred's diary is the voice that ultimately reshapes the entire story.

3. Interview and video about the author

YouTube - Service 95 - Hernán Díaz on Writing Trust

YouTube - Service 95 - Dua Lipa In Conversation With Hernan Diaz, Author Of Trust

4. Discussion Questions for Trust (Parts I & II)

by Hernán Díaz

1. Who do we believe?

In Part I (“Bonds”), we read a story about Benjamin and Helen Rask.

In Part II (“My Life”), Andrew Bevel tells his own story.

○ Which version feels more believable to you?

○ Why?

2. Main Differences

○ What are the biggest differences between Benjamin Rask and Andrew Bevel?

○ How are their wives (Helen and Mildred) different in the two texts?

○ Why do you think these differences are important?

3. How is Wealth Shown?

○ How does each part describe rich people and the world of finance?

○ Does Part I criticize rich people more?

○ Does Part II try to defend them?

4. The Wives’ Role 

Compare Helen and Mildred.

○ How intelligent and independent are they in each story?

○ Do they seem strong, controlled, misunderstood, or something else?

5. The 1929 Stock Market Crash

○ How is the crash described in both parts?

○ Is Bevel/Rask responsible in any way?

○ Does each story judge him differently?

6. Writing Style

Part I reads like a traditional novel.

Part II feels like a personal explanation or defense.

○ How does the style change your opinion of the characters?

○ Which style did you prefer?

7. Why Write a Second Version?

○ Why do you think Andrew Bevel wants to tell his own version of the story?

○ What does this say about power and reputation?

8. Loneliness and Power

Both men seem distant and emotionally cold.

○ Why are they like this?

○ Is their personality connected to money and success?

9. What Is the Truth?

○ After reading both parts, do you think we can know the “real” truth?

○ Or does the novel suggest that truth depends on who tells the story?

10. Your Personal Reaction

○ After reading both sections, whose story affected you more?

○ Did your opinion change between Part I and Part II? Why?

Discussion Questions to Use with the Timeline

After reading the timeline, reflect on the following questions:

● How does knowing this timeline change your view of Bevel/Rask?

● Is he a genius investor — or someone who benefits from crisis?

● Does the crash seem like an accident, or something predictable?

5. Financial Vocabulary

Financial Vocabulary from Trust

1. Speculation / Speculative Activity

● Buying shares or assets expecting prices to rise quickly.

● In the novel: Investors in the 1920s (including Rask/Bevel) often take big risks to make fast profits.

2. Stock Market / Trading

● The buying and selling of company shares.

● In the novel: The rise and fall of shares drives the characters’ wealth and anxiety.

3. Market Collapse / Crash

● A sudden, steep fall in stock prices.

● In the novel: The 1929 crash affects everyone’s fortunes and shows the fragility of wealth.

4. Wealth Concentration

● The accumulation of extreme wealth in the hands of very few people.

● In the novel: Bevel’s rise illustrates how few can dominate finance and public perception.

5. Public Perception / Reputation as Currency

● The idea that trust and fame are as valuable as money in maintaining wealth.

● In the novel: Bevel carefully shapes how people see him, almost like managing a financial asset.

6. Financial Risk / Exposure

● The possibility of losing money due to investment decisions.

● In the novel: Risk-taking drives both the success and the near collapse of fortunes.

7. Philanthropy as Social Investment

● Giving money to cultural or educational institutions to secure social influence.

● In the novel: Bevel uses charitable acts to cement his reputation and legitimacy.

8. Economic Downturn / Recession

● A period when the economy slows, businesses fail, and unemployment rises.

● In the novel: The aftermath of the 1929 crash creates wider social and economic consequences.

9. Insider Knowledge / Privileged Information

● Knowing something about markets or investments that most people do not.

● In the novel: Wealthy investors like Bevel benefit from information and influence that ordinary people don’t have.

10. Illusion of Stability

● A false sense that wealth, markets, or power are secure and predictable.

● In the novel: Both narratives show that fortunes can vanish overnight, despite appearances.

6. Mini Financial Timeline: 1929

Before 1929 – The “Roaring Twenties”

● The U.S. economy is growing quickly.

● Many people invest in the stock market.

● Stock prices rise very fast.

● Some people buy shares with borrowed money (this increases risk).

● There is a lot of optimism and speculation.

👉 Connection to the novel: This is the world in which Rask/Bevel becomes extremely wealthy.

Early 1929 – Warning Signs

● Experts begin to worry that stock prices are too high.

● Some investors quietly start selling their shares.

● The market becomes unstable.

👉 Discussion link: Who understands the danger? Who profits from it?

October 24, 1929 – “Black Thursday”

● Many investors panic and try to sell their shares

● Stock prices fall quickly.

● Banks and large investors try to calm the market by buying shares.

October 29, 1929 – “Black Tuesday”

● Panic continues.

● Millions of shares are sold.

● Prices collapse.

● Many investors lose everything.

👉 This is the moment usually called the Stock Market Crash of 1929.

After the Crash (1930s)

● Thousands of banks fail.

● Businesses close.

● Millions of people lose their jobs.

● This period becomes known as the Great Depression.

 

7. List of characters

1. Correspondences between characters (the “two versions”)

In Bonds (fictional novel)	In the other parts	Role in the story
Benjamin Rask	Andrew Bevel	New York financial magnate whose fortune and reputation are at the center of the story.
Helen Rask	Mildred Bevel	An extremely intelligent and cultured wife; her true role in the fortune is one of the mysteries of the novel.
Leopold (secretary)	Andrew's Secretary	Administrator and guardian of access to the tycoon.
Edward (intellectual friend)	Mildred's cultural contacts	It represents the intellectual and artistic world that surrounds the wife.
Doctor treating Helen	Mildred's Doctors	They intervene during the wife's illness.

This shows how the first part rewrites real history, changing names and emphasizing certain features.

2. Main Characters for Each Narrator

Bonds - Fictional story inspired by the Bevels.

• Benjamin Rask – mysterious and extremely wealthy financier.

• Helen Rask – brilliant wife whose illness dominates the plot.

• Leopold – loyal and discreet secretary.

• Edward – Helen's intellectual friend.

• Helen's doctors – intervene during her decline.

________________________________________

My Life (Andrew's autobiography)

• Andrew Bevel – attempts to rebuild his public reputation.

• Mildred Bevel – presented as a refined wife and music lover.

• William Bevel – Andrew's father, a key figure in the creation of his wealth.

• Adelaide Bevel – Andrew's mother, associated with high society.

• Harold Vanner – financial partner or ally.

March 26 Meeting - "The GIoconda Smile" by Aldous Huxley

The Book

Image Source: Amazon

The Gioconda Smile is a short story by Aldous Huxley first published in 1921 and later included in his collection Mortal Coils. The story is a psychological drama centered on Henry Hutton, a cultivated and outwardly respectable man trapped in an unhappy marriage. When his wife dies under suspicious circumstances, his relationship with a devoted admirer seems to promise a new beginning. However, Huxley gradually reveals layers of irony, ambiguity, and moral complexity, leading to an unsettling conclusion.

Rather than focusing on action, the story explores themes of emotional detachment, manipulation, self-deception, and the contrast between social appearances and hidden motives. The title alludes to the enigmatic smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, symbolizing ambiguity and concealed intentions.

Although not as famous as Huxley’s later novels, the story was well received and adapted for television, and it remains admired for its sharp psychological insight and subtle, ironic style.

The Author

Image Source: Wikipedia

Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) was an English writer, essayist, and intellectual best known for his novel Brave New World (1932). Born into a distinguished family of scientists and scholars, Huxley was educated at Eton and later at Balliol College, Oxford. A serious eye illness in his youth partially impaired his vision, preventing him from pursuing a scientific career, which influenced his turn toward literature.

Huxley became one of the leading literary voices of the 20th century, known for his sharp wit, intellectual depth, and exploration of social, philosophical, and ethical issues. His works range from satirical novels to essays on science, politics, mysticism, and human consciousness. Later in life, he moved to the United States and developed a strong interest in spirituality and Eastern philosophy.

Huxley’s writing continues to be widely read and discussed, particularly for its prescient reflections on technology, society, and human freedom.

Principal Characters

• Mr. Henry Hutton, a wealthy, philandering English landowner

• Mrs. Hutton, his invalid wife

• Doris, his young mistress

• Dr. Libbard, his family physician

• Janet Spence, an unmarried woman in her late thirties who is infatuated with

Hutton

Supporting documentation for preparing the meeting

> Xpressenglish.com > The Gioconda Smile -On this page you can find the PDF and the audio with the story. 

> Wikipedia: Aldous Huxley 

> Literary Theory and Criticism > Analysis of Aldous Huxley’s The Gioconda Smile 

> Ebsco > The Gioconda Smile by Aldous Huxley 

Questions to spark discussion:

1. We do encourage you to first read the story as it was written and then go on to watch the magnificent black-and-white movie. It was written in 1921 and adapted into a film in 1948. What differences could you spot? Is it better the story or the movie?

2. The beauty of reading is that it allows you to plunge into a different place, a different time or age. What do you learn about the society in the 1920’s?

3. Do you think Mr Hutton is fed up with his wife’s condition? Can you comment on this character?

4. What do you think of Janet Spence?

5. What role does the family doctor play in the plot?

6. What about Doris? Could she be held responsible for what happened?

7. Comment on the ending. Do you think it served Mr Hutton right?

External Interesting Links

The film based on Hucley's story

YouTube - Cinema4Reel > A Woman's Vengeance with Charles Boyer 1948 - 1080p HD Film

Audiobook

YouTube - Neuralsurfer Audiobooks & Films for Creative Minds - THE GIOCONDA SMILE AUDIOBOOK, Aldous Huxley

What are you reading? Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

 Noelia's contribution

The Book

Source: Amazon

My decision to read Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell was motivated by the recent release of the film based on the novel. I wanted to form my own opinion and have a personal reading experience, as once a film is made from a book, it becomes the personal interpretation of the director, the screenwriter, and the rest of the creative team. Reading the novel first allowed me to connect directly with the author’s voice and intentions.

Hamnet is a beautifully written and original novel that offers a very human perspective on a well-known literary figure. One of the most striking narrative choices is that Agnes’s husband is never named. This decision feels intentional and meaningful, and it allows readers who may not know who the husband is based on to enjoy the story without feeling lost. The novel does not focus on fame or literary success, but on the personal and emotional life behind the myth.

The story explores universal themes such as love, family, and especially loss. Through these themes, the reader can easily identify with the characters, as their emotions feel real and deeply human. The love within the family and the pain caused by loss are portrayed in a very intimate way, making the novel emotionally powerful and relatable.

Personally, I feel that some chapters are too descriptive. At times, the level of detail slows down the pace of the story and does not add much to my reading experience. Even so, the emotional depth of the novel makes it worth reading.

I would recommend Hamnet to anyone who wants to discover a more human, close, and emotional portrait of the writer and his family, focusing on love, grief, and shared experiences that connect us all.

The Author

BIOGRAPHY  generated by OpenAI

Maggie O’Farrell (born 1972) is an Irish-British novelist and memoirist celebrated for her psychologically astute, emotionally resonant fiction. She was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Wales and Scotland, experiences that shaped her sense of place and identity and frequently surface in her writing. O’Farrell studied English literature at the University of Cambridge, after which she worked in journalism and publishing before turning to fiction.

Her debut novel, After You’d Gone (2000), won the Betty Trask Award and established her reputation as a distinctive new literary voice. This was followed by a series of critically acclaimed novels, including The Distance Between Us, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, The Hand That First Held Mine, and This Must Be the Place. Many of her works explore memory, trauma, family relationships, and the hidden intersections between past and present, often through non-linear narratives and shifting perspectives.

O’Farrell achieved major international recognition with Hamnet (2020), a novel inspired by the life and death of William Shakespeare’s son. Praised for its poetic language and imaginative re-creation of 16th-century domestic life, the book won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and became a global bestseller. In 2017, she also published the memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, a deeply personal work structured around a series of life-threatening experiences, which further showcased her introspective and fearless approach to storytelling.

Now based in Edinburgh, Maggie O’Farrell is regarded as one of the most important contemporary writers in the English-speaking world, known for blending literary elegance with emotional intensity and for bringing intimate human stories into sharp, unforgettable focus.

YouTube - Hamnet - Official trailer

February 26 Meeting - "Animal Farm" by George Orwell

Why should we read  it?

It is always a good idea to take a look back at some great classic British novelists. One of the most important characteristics of a master piece is that no matter how long ago it was written, it still has a message or several, to convey to present-day readers and a really meaningful one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!

Source: The following text has been compiled from Wikipedia publications

Source: Amazon

Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923 to 2005); it also featured at number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels,and number 46 on the BBC's The Big Read poll. It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996, and is included in the Great Books of the Western World selection.

Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both authoritarian communism and fascism), and support of democratic socialism.

Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in industrial Northern England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.

Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945

Animal farm got it difficult to get published:

Animal Farm (originally Animal Farm: A Fairy Story) is a satirical allegorical dystopian novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It follows the mistreated anthropomorphic farm animals of Manor Farm as they rebel against their human master, and are hoping to create a society where all animals can be equal, free, and happy away from human vices and interventions. However, the rebellion is hijacked and betrayed, and under the dictatorship of the pigs, the farm ends up in a dystopian state nearly identical to what it was before.

According to Orwell, Animal Farm reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, a period when Russia lived under the Marxist–Leninist ideology of Joseph Stalin. Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Barcelona May Days conflicts between the POUM and Stalinist forces, during the Spanish Civil War. In a letter to Yvonne Davet (a French writer), Orwell described Animal Farm as a satirical tale against Stalin ("un conte satirique contre Staline"), and in his essay "Why I Write" (1946) wrote: "Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole."

Source: Wikipedia

The original title of the novel was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. American publishers dropped the subtitle when it was published in 1946, and only one of the translations, during Orwell's lifetime, the Telugu version, kept it. Other title variations include subtitles like "A Satire" and "A Contemporary Satire". Orwell suggested the title Union des républiques socialistes animales for the French translation, which abbreviates to URSA, the Latin word for "bear", a symbol of Russia. It also played on the French name of the Soviet Union, Union des républiques socialistes soviétiques.

Orwell wrote the book between November 1943 and February 1944, when the United Kingdom was in its wartime alliance with the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany and the British intelligentsia held Stalin in high esteem, which Orwell hated. The manuscript was initially rejected by several British and American publishers, including one of Orwell's own, Victor Gollancz, which delayed its publication. It became a great commercial success when it did appear, as international relations and public opinion were transformed as the wartime alliance gave way to the Cold War.

> Google Docs - Animal Farm Full Text.pdf - Google Drive

YouTube - Ivanna Oliink - Animal Farm (1954). George Orwell. HD Cartoon

Questions to spark discussion.

1. If you take a look at the first chapters, do you think Mr Jones is to blame for his behaviour? Point out any issues you find negative about how he run the farm.

2. We are presented with some of the pigs who will have an outstanding role all long the novel: Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer. How would you describe them? Why are they essential in the novella’s plot?

3. Look at the Commandments at the beginning and compare them to those at the end. Comment on them.

4. The sheep say a sentence repeatedly: “Four legs good, two legs bad”. What do you think is its hidden purpose? Is it changed at the end? Why?

5. Boxer is the most noble and hard-working animal in the farm, can you comment on his function along the novel? What about Molly? Why do you think she flees right at the beginning of the Rebellion?

6. Snowball and Napoleon fight about the windmill. What do they represent? What about Squealer? Comment on any other characters you like: Moses, the raven...

7. Napoleon takes some puppies and turns them into his bodyguards, why?

8. Pay attention to Benjamin, the donkey. What part does he play in the story?

9. Do you find any similarities between the techniques used by the pigs and some rulers’ tactics nowadays?

Pay attention to the last lines of the novel. Any final comments?

“Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

10. One final question as the conclusion: Do you think terrible dictators such as Stalin or Hitler share tactics or characteristics which could be regarded as similar?