In our second book review of June, Ben McCormick dives into Richard Z. Santos’ s debut novel, Trust Me, published at the end of March from Arte Público Press. “The line between political corruption and rational action,” McCormick writes, “is a lot thinner than we like to think, and Richard Z. Santos’s Trust Me whiplashes through it.” Dive into the review below:
Speak to someone who works political campaigns, and it isn’t long before they start sounding like a roadie listing their tours: Doug Jones, Alabama senate, 2018; John Edwards for President, 2008; Karen Bass, California congress, 2013. They hardly ever sign year-long leases, and seldom own what can’t be moved in a car. It’s hard for us laypeople to fathom just how much of electoral politics are built on the campaign version of an adrenaline junkie. The line between political corruption and rational action is a lot thinner than we like to think, and Richard Z. Santos’s Trust Me whiplashes through it.
