Will I love The History of Sound?

What does it mean to be forgotten and to be remembered? This brilliant collection of short stories is anchored by the title story about a walk through rural Maine directly after World War One by two male lovers, both musicians and one a returning soldier, recording folk songs ostensibly for his conservatory.

Each story has a companion in the compilation, which I found to be an incredibly effective device for exploring the emotional impact of memory. The writing is so dispassionate yet devastating in its exploration of how even long-ago relationships can be brought to the surface by rediscovered artifacts… show more.

My kingdom to be able to write like this.

This collection of linked stories has the heft of a novel, with linked stories in the sense that what happens in one story is reflected in a later story and timeframe. The New England setting is evocative; you feel immediately enmeshed in this world and feel its power. Shattuck has a disarming way of drawing you in immediately and keeping you turning pages, yet there’s nothing obvious or overly dramatic about his plots or his characters. Writers will want to reread this over and over to try and get how he pulls off his magic. The language is spare and… show more.

Each of these twelve intertwined stories set in New England and eastern Canada across three centuries has a companion story that contains a revelation about its counterpart. Many are set in bad weather; all focus on interpersonal relationships and emotions, and build tension and expectation. Sometimes the outcome is predictable; in others, a different direction or unexplained outcome ensues. One of the pleasures of the collection is recognising a person or artefact that has appeared elsewhere. This is an impressive first collection, full of the randomness of life: chance events, failures, disappointments and missed opportunities, conveying a distinct sense of… show more.

Deep dives into the complex history and psychology of the characters