History of Sound

Soon to be a major movie starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor

‘Exquisitely crafted, deeply imagined, exhilaratingly diverse, The History of Sound places Ben Shattuck firmly among the very finest of our storytellers’ – Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Horse

In twelve luminous stories set across three centuries, The History of Sound examines the unexpected ways the past returns to us and how love and loss are entwined and transformed over generations. In Ben Shattuck’s ingenious collection, each story has a companion story, which contains a revelation about the previous, paired story. Mysteries and murders are revealed, history is refracted, and deep emotional connections are woven through characters and families.

The haunting title story recalls the journey of two men who meet around a piano in a smoky, dim bar, only to spend a summer walking the Maine woods collecting folk songs in the shadow of the First World War, forever marked by the odyssey. Decades later, in another story, a woman discovers the wax cylinders recorded that fateful summer while cleaning out her new house in Maine. Shattuck’s inventive, exquisite stories transport readers from 1700s Nantucket to the contemporary woods of New Hampshire and beyond-into landscapes both enduring and unmistakably modern. Memories, artefacts, paintings, and journals resurface in surprising and poignant ways among evocative beaches, forests, and orchards, revealing the secrets, misunderstandings, and love that linger across centuries.

Review Quotes:
Praise for The History of Sound

\” The History of Sound is polyphonic fiction. . . . It’s also a reminder of the short story’s power. . . . The History of Sound marks Shattuck as one of the form’s brightest lights. . . . A terrific writer. . . . Deeply resonant.\”
–Chris Vognar, The Boston Globe

\”Reminds me of Andrea Barrett. . . . The unity of this collection is most pleasing of all, as each small, muted drama grows in pathos by being remembered or replicated later in time. Even the loneliest confessions find sympathetic listeners, though they may take centuries to do so.\”
–Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

\”Masterful. . . . Shattuck’s connection to the region he writes about is palpable on the page. The emotions evoked, primarily around the difficulty of finding meaningful connections to others, land with a combination of great force and quiet tenderness. . . . The History of Sound is worth your time.\”
–John Warner, The Chicago Tribune

\”Elegantly written, beautifully structured and emotionally involving, this outstanding collection of 12 interconnected stories is multi-layered and beguilingly subtle. Spanning decades, and with the cinematic landscapes of New England as a backdrop, these intimate tales of music collectors, apple growers, struggling artists and beleaguered cult followers are brimful of heartbreak, hope and hard-won happiness.\”
–The Daily Mail

\”Like all literature that finds you exactly when you need it, Shattuck’s book becomes the first half of a couplet that hooks to a second half composed of the reader’s experience. Each story irrevocably links the physical book to the memories, emotions, and places experienced as it was read.\”
–The Provincetown Independent

\”Intricately structured, powerfully emotional, beautifully written: This is as good as short fiction gets.\”
–Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review)

\”In each arresting, surprising, gorgeously realized tale, Shattuck considers how art and stories are passed down, misconstrued, and lost; how love can be tragic and insufficient; how chance meetings and buried secrets resonate. Shattuck’s numinous stories shimmer with longing and loss, fate and beauty.\”
–Booklist (STARRED review)

\”A magnificent collection about love, longing, and New England history. . . . Shattuck shines especially in his depiction of nature. . . . Deeply felt and impeccably researched, these exquisite stories capture the spirit of the Northeast.\”
–Publishers Weekly

\”Exquisitely crafted, deeply imagined, exhilaratingly diverse, The History of Sound places Ben Shattuck firmly among the very finest of our storytellers.\”
–Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Horse

Written with breathtaking humanity and humor, The History of Sound is a love letter to New England, a radiant conversation between past and present, and a moving meditation on the abiding search for home.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Imprint: Swift Press
Publication date: 11/03/2025