Trust Exercise

A Novel

By: Susan Choi

Narrated by: Adina Verson, Jennifer Lim, Suehyla El-Attar

Winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction

"Electrifying" (People) • "Masterly" (The Guardian) • "Dramatic and memorable" (The New Yorker) • "Magic" (Time) • "Ingenious" (The Financial Times) • "A gonzo literary performance" (Entertainment Weekly) • "Rare and splendid" (The Boston Globe) • "Remarkable" (USA Today) • "Delicious" (The New York Times) • "Book groups, meet your next selection" (NPR)

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing-arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarefied bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving "Brotherhood of the Arts", two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed - or untoyed with - by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school’s walls - until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the listener believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true - though it’s not false, either. It takes until the audiobook’s stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place - revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence.

As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties, and will leave listeners with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.

©2019 Susan Choi (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2019 National Book Awards - Winner
2019 New Yorker Best Books of the Year
2019 New York Magazine Best Books of the Year
2019 NPR Best Book of the Year
2019 Slate Book Review Best Books of the Year
2019 Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
2019 Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Year
2019 Time Magazine Top 10 Books of the Year
2019 Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year
2019 New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year
2019 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
2019 NYPL Book for Reading and Sharing

Mixed feelings

Fabulous start, great writing, good at describing complex human thoughts and interaction, but the last 3rd was somewhat disjointed and ultimately not satisfying and creepy to me.

Slow-burning

The first half of the book was hard to follow and rather uninteresting. It picked up as perspective changed and the performers did a great job.

Great Beginning, Unsatisfying Ending

I can't remember why I chose this book. It must have been one of those two-for-one credit deals. Normally I read horror and fantasy romance. I guess I thought from the blurb that it would be about the romance between David and Sarah. And the first half was, which was great. I couldn't get enough. Then the story went into a sideways direction about a character that I couldn't care less about. I wish the story of David and Sarah had an emotional resolution, even if it wasn't a happy ending. Great performances by the audio book narrators. They kept me listening so that I could at least finish the book.

fabulous performance, incisive writing

This book gave me a good deal of insight into my own high school experience, as well as the experience of my family members
The author is very talented with her phrasing and metaphors.She also discussed the etymology and usage of certain words, which I found quite eye-opening!
I highly recommend the audio version of this book, as the "exercises" contain repetitive phrases that are fleshed out in the performance, but would remain undifferentiated as words on the page
Don't miss this! Very enjoyable

Terrific!

So much to think about in this novel! How do we recall the past? What is truth? What is fiction? How does one person’s truth contradict someone else’s? I found this to be a thought provoking page turner that makes me want to read everything else Susan Choi has written!

Not for the linear thinker

This was awonderful book that kept me off kilter. After an interesting and well written (but pretty standard) beginning, I was thrown a curve and loved it! The "Karen" section is hysterical and heartbreaking and if you like a neat, tidy ending (I don't) you may be disappointed. fantastic narration that really showcased the different characters.

not a YA novel

When Trust Exercise begins I thought, oh another YA novel. Luckily, the novel was so much more. The writing is superb. The character development was unique and believable. Setting most of the book in the 80's was excellent because it was a pre cell phone era. The teen years are difficult and no matter the time frame it doesn't get easier.

Loved it!

I absolutely loved this book. Broken into three sections with three different narrators, the book really speaks to questions about what is fiction and what is fact as well as some of the nuances of the #MeToo movement. The story takes place in an arts high school in the 80s in a southern town, all of which I found to be an intriguing combination. I’m going to read more Susan Choi after this one!

Lost My Trust

“Trust Exercise” begins with promise, focusing on the emotional confusion and excesses of teenage actors in a school for the performing arts. The first half seemed like a standard, enjoyable tale of misguided affection and ambition. But I began to lose interest, as the characters became increasingly unpleasant and self-centered.

Then the book took a major narrative shift, which made it more of an academic exercise than a character study. A different narrator—perhaps unreliable—raised doubts about the “truth” of the story. Too late, because I had lost interest. There were some surprising scenes toward the end (Susan Choi writes very well), and the book raised important issues that weren’t expected based on the earlier sections. There was a lot to think about, and I wanted to like the book more. But I just didn’t.

The three readers were good. The first readers in particular had the right voices for what was in some ways a fancy exploration of teenage drama and manipulation.

cleverly done but somehow empty

Sometimes the cleverness and intelligence of the writer overwhelms both the story and its meaning. Even though I laughed and oohed and ahhed at times with Susan Choi's writing she left me feeling disappointed.