Trust Exercise
Paradoxical
Surprising
Unpredictable

Trust Exercise A Novel

Susan Choi2019
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 rarified 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 reader 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 book’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, Susan Choi's Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
4.5 stars
Oct 20, 2024
Photo of Eva Ströberg
Eva Ströberg@cphbirdlady
2 stars
Jul 19, 2024
Photo of Jess Rez
Jess Rez@jar4life
5 stars
Mar 24, 2024
Photo of Allegra Solomon
Allegra Solomon@goldengal
4 stars
Mar 10, 2024
Photo of Dom
Dom@domi_b
5 stars
Jan 8, 2024
Photo of Amy Place
Amy Place@amy_place
4 stars
Jul 7, 2023
Photo of Shona Tiger
Shona Tiger@shonatiger
4 stars
Jan 19, 2023
Photo of Amy Thibodeau
Amy Thibodeau@amythibodeau
3 stars
Dec 26, 2022
Photo of Lis
Lis@seagull
4 stars
Mar 16, 2022
Photo of jiaqi kang
jiaqi kang@jiaqi
4 stars
Mar 5, 2022
Photo of Lauren Attaway
Lauren Attaway@camcray
3 stars
Jan 26, 2022
Photo of Summer Stanley
Summer Stanley@sgs
2 stars
Jan 3, 2022
Photo of Maytal
Maytal@maytal
4 stars
Nov 18, 2021
Photo of Cindy
Cindy@cindypepper
2 stars
Oct 20, 2021
Photo of agnese
agnese@agnese
3 stars
Sep 12, 2021
Photo of Katie
Katie@lilhaunt
1 star
Aug 31, 2021
Photo of stefano
stefano@nowaystefano
3.5 stars
Oct 5, 2024
Layered
Contemplative
Thought provoking
Photo of Blossom
Blossom@blossom
2 stars
Apr 14, 2024
Obnoxious
Surprising
Paradoxical
Unpredictable
Photo of marlisa
marlisa@marmalade
4 stars
Feb 20, 2024
Photo of Michelle Guo
Michelle Guo@guomichelle
5 stars
Jun 1, 2022
Inventive
Surprising
Unforgettable
Photo of Kay Sutherland
Kay Sutherland@kaysutherland
4 stars
Jul 5, 2024
Photo of Olivia
Olivia@olivia11235813
4 stars
Jul 4, 2024
Photo of Heather Margaret
Heather Margaret@heatherdarling
3 stars
Jun 9, 2024
Photo of Sadie Kimbrough
Sadie Kimbrough@skimbs
4 stars
May 9, 2024

Highlights

Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs
Photo of bianca
bianca@baancs