Then there’s the manuscript of Andrew Bevel, who would seem to be the real-life person that Benjamin Rask was based on. It’s four distinct narratives: one is a popular “roman a clef” novel set in the 1920’s, as authored by Harold Vanner, purportedly chronicling the lives of Benjamin and Helen Rask - Benjamin is a Gatsby-type figure, immensely rich, and credited with foreseeing the 1929 Crash, and profiting from it. The book’s structure is what intrigued me. Born in Argentina, raised in Sweden and now living in the United States, Diaz is highly regarded in literary circles, previously a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN Faulkner Award. The Booker is considered one of the most prestigious literary awards handed out in this day and age. When I started writing this column, Trust by Hernan Diaz was on the 2022 Booker Prize Longlist, and I had begun reading this fascinating, Rashomon-effect novel. HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |