Deeply resonant ... The stories in The History of Sound are laden with dry humor, genuine sadness, and careful pacing. Just when you think you know where you’re going, Shattuck creates an unexpected, often scenic detour ... Shattuck has a rare ability to write in a multitude of voices and styles, and an even rarer talent for bringing those voices into harmony.
Extraordinary ... In so many of these stories Shattuck brings you inside the rhythm of ordinary days and within the commonplace, crafts a pivotal moment. Not a sudden dramatic lightbulb moment, but one that is, like so much of the writing in this collection, graceful and true.
Shattuck writes with delicacy and restraint of the uncertainties, missed signals, and mixed feelings that trouble personal relationships across the centuries even as we yearn for love and meaning. Intricately structured, powerfully emotional, beautifully written: This is as good as short fiction gets.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
