Several decades in the future, a special project is formed with a singular goal: "to better understand the scope of the silent phenomenon." The subjects of the study are "silents"--multitudes of people who've been born unable to process language. By collecting accounts from parents, doctors, spiritual gurus and others who have come into contact with silents, the project is confronted with wildly contrasting theories as to what has caused the condition and how society should respond. These testimonials form The Silent History, a collaboration between Eli Horowitz, former publisher of McSweeney's, and novelists Matthew Derby and Kevin Moffett.
Originally serialized through an Apple iOS app, the novel was released in weekly segments between October 1, 2012, and April 19, 2013. A bold, experimental work of literary fiction, it has been reedited for the paperback edition.
Though each statement is no longer than a few pages, the speakers' personalities are remarkably dynamic--so much so that when they reappear much later in the novel, their voices are instantly recognizable. These testimonials are also disturbing, describing children met with harsh discrimination (called everything from "zombie" to "mutetard"), families haunted by confusion and guilt, and teachers straining to interpret their students' pain. More than anything, they are unnervingly philosophical. After years of researching the silents, the project's director wonders, "Are there wilder, more verdant fields out beyond the boundaries of language, where those of us who are silent now wander?" Such questions possess a sense of urgency that reaches beyond the confines of this intriguing fictional world. --Annie Atherton