Trust Exercise is a 2019 novel by American author Susan Choi. The work was published by Random House and is presented as a work of literary fiction that explores themes of memory, authority, and the unreliability of narrative.
Synopsis
Set primarily in a New York City private boarding school during the summer of 1984, the novel follows a group of teenagers participating in a theater program led by an enigmatic and demanding instructor. The story is structured in two parts: the first portion recounts a detailed account of a staged production and the interpersonal dynamics among the students; the second portion, released later in the novel, revisits the earlier events with new perspectives and revelations that challenge the initial narrative, thereby questioning the trustworthiness of the narrator and the veracity of remembered experience.
Literary Significance and Reception
Trust Exercise received widespread critical acclaim for its intricate narrative construction, thematic depth, and stylistic experimentation. Reviewers highlighted Choi’s manipulation of narrative reliability and the novel’s commentary on power relations within educational and artistic institutions.
Awards
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (2020) – Trust Exercise was the recipient of this prestigious American literary prize, recognizing it as an outstanding work of fiction published in the preceding year.
The novel was also noted in several year‑end lists of notable books and was a finalist for additional literary honors, though specific award titles beyond the PEN/Faulkner Award are not detailed here.
Publication Details
- Author: Susan Choi
- Publisher: Random House (U.S.)
- Publication Date: October 2019
- ISBN: 978-0-8129-9790-2 (hardcover)
Contextual Notes
The title “Trust Exercise” functions metaphorically within the novel, referring both to the theatrical exercises performed by the characters and to the broader thematic investigation of trust—between teachers and students, among peers, and between the reader and the narrator. The novel’s structure, which revisits and revises earlier sections, serves as a literary “exercise” in examining how trust is built, broken, and reconstituted through storytelling.