To books that subvert your opinion
And the voices in history that were never heard.
I finish reading Trust by Hernan Diaz, put down my book and exhale.
My mind and my emotions need a minute to calibrate, integrate and make sense of what I just read. One thing’s for sure though, it didn’t match the description I had given my book-club.
I quote myself here and laugh back at my naiveté: “Trust by Hernan Diaz is about the 1920’s New York wealth, money power trips and relationships.” Indeed, this book is all of those things, but it’s also so much much more.
Looking back at my description, I almost feel a sense of loss of my innocence. Can a book affect you in that way? After which you are never the same, altered in some way?
I believe this to be true for me.
There have been many times in my life where a book changed me, gave me new context and helped me see my own circumstances in a different way. This is why I appreciate reading so much, you never know where it will take you or how it will make you think and feel.
Anyways, from the start of this book, it takes us on a journey of discovering the truth. Peeling back layer by layer, chapter by chapter, we unveil more of what’s real vs. fiction. From some distant past, one of the main protagonists writes to us, trying to call us closer to HER truth.
“Some journals are kept with the unspoken hope that they will be discovered long after the diarist’s death, the fossil of an extinct species of one. Others thrive on the belief that the only time each evanescent word will be read is at it’s being written. And others yet address the writer’s future self: one’s testament to be opened at one’s resurrection. They declare, respectively, “I was,” “I am,” “I’ll be.”
What this book touched in me is that history has a particular way of erasing the voices of women. It pains me to think about all of the women in history whose opinions, creations and art we never knew, simply because they were never recorded.
Perhaps some were bold and used men as their instrument, giving their voice to men, so that at the very least they can be heard.
The take away?
It's fascinating that a book can make you go through so many emotions and experiences, and completely subvert your initial opinion. I guess that's why I find reading so fascinating - you never know where it will take you.
Oh and let’s not forget to pick up books from the past, especially female writers. Their hidden messages can give us a better insight into history, and bring more of the truth to the surface.
That’s my thoughts for today. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next Sunday!
xx
Toni
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