patchworkbunny reviewed Trinity by Louisa Hall
Review of 'Trinity' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Louisa Hall has chosen to create a portrait of Oppenheimer through the narratives of seven characters whose lives touched his at some point. These characters are fictional but weave together facts from the era to give a sense of who Oppenheimer was, as well as the sense of the time.
I thought this was an unusual approach which worked to varying degrees. There's the FBI agent assigned to watch him, a WAF (Women in the Air Force) at the base in Alamo, a student who attends one of his lectures, acquaintances from his time on St Johns... It shows a man conflicted by pride in his scientific achievement, yet faced with the guilt of the destruction wrought on Japan. A man who was not always faithful, who was held practically hostage by his government, threatened with his links to communists.
I did zone out over the reporter's account of her …
Louisa Hall has chosen to create a portrait of Oppenheimer through the narratives of seven characters whose lives touched his at some point. These characters are fictional but weave together facts from the era to give a sense of who Oppenheimer was, as well as the sense of the time.
I thought this was an unusual approach which worked to varying degrees. There's the FBI agent assigned to watch him, a WAF (Women in the Air Force) at the base in Alamo, a student who attends one of his lectures, acquaintances from his time on St Johns... It shows a man conflicted by pride in his scientific achievement, yet faced with the guilt of the destruction wrought on Japan. A man who was not always faithful, who was held practically hostage by his government, threatened with his links to communists.
I did zone out over the reporter's account of her marriage. I wasn't quite sure what this had to to with Oppenheimer, other than when she started the interview he reminded her of her husband. Maybe it was meant to represent Kitty or some other element of his life, I'm not sure. She talks of her husband's betrayal like Oppenheimer's betrayal by allowing the bomb to be used, which was a bit extreme. This meant it ended on a down note.
I would say if you specifically wanted to learn more about the project or Oppenheimer, you'd be better off reading a biography. Trinity was interesting to read though, and if you like interconnected short stories, this might be your thing.