Title: Trust
Author: Mike Bullen
Publication Date: 10 Nov 2015
Mike Bullen could not
have chosen a more pertinent title for his debut novel. Trust is the fundamental theme and substance of this story and
indeed of life too. Our relationships, which make our lives whole, ultimately
revolve around the fine balance of trust. Bullen explores the complexity of
what it means to trust a person and questions whether trust can be rebuilt once
broken. Bullen successfully explores these fundamental questions of life
through the complex construction of his sometimes annoying but very
identifiable characters.
Colleagues and friends Greg and
Dan head off to a conference for work, there they are faced with a situation
where they have the opportunity to cheat on their wife and partner. The
decisions they make here will ultimately dictate their future. I do not want to
give anything away but the way in which this story unfolds is very well thought
out and really challenges the reader to ask themselves what they would do in
this situation. For me, I found myself identifying with the wife and partner
who are back home and deal with the consequences of their husband and partner’s
actions. I’ve always been of the view that if my partner cheated on me that
would pretty much break us apart. I would probably pack up my life and leave.
However, now we have a son, I feel like that changes everything, you have another
life in your hands and suddenly not everything is black and white. This novel
proves that once trust has been broken, if you love someone enough, there may
be a possibility, just maybe that the trust could be rebuilt… Relationships ebb
and flow, you have to nurture and tend to the love you have for each other. It’s
not sunshine and rainbows all the time.
“They were like gardeners who don’t tend to their plants, who take it
for granted that they’ll bloom this year because they always have in the past.
But just as shrubs need light, water and cultivated soil, so love needs
romance, tenderness and care. Without nurture, it too can wither and die.”
What are your views on this? Do
you feel that cheating is black and white or do you think there is a grey area?
I feel every situation is different, it depends if the person has fallen in
love with a new partner or whether it is a onetime thing. There are a million
different factors. It depends how strong the love is between two people to
begin with. I am in NO WAY condoning cheating but isn’t this just proof that
Mike Bullen has achieved what every author strives to achieve with their
writing? He has kept the reader thinking, contemplating, and pondering, long
after putting his novel down.
Trust is the perfect selection for your next book club book it
certainly will get some heated debates going, so be prepared!
