The History of Sound

by Ben Shattuck · 2024

In twelve luminous, interwoven tales spanning three centuries, Ben Shattuck’s *The History of Sound* explores how echoes of the past reverberate through love, loss, and family. Each story is paired with a companion piece that reveals hidden truths—mysteries untangle, histories refract, and long‑forgotten folk songs resurface when a woman discovers wax cylinders in a Maine house, linking her present to a wartime summer spent collecting music in the woods. From smoky bars to quiet New England homes, Shattuck’s deft, polyphonic storytelling captures the fragile, resonant threads that bind generations, making the collection a haunting meditation on how history is both remembered and reinvented.