The History of Sound: Stories

A third-person narrator depicts the protagonist August’s story. August is living in Wells Slope, New Hampshire, when he becomes convinced his appendix has burst. At the Concord hospital, he meets a doctor named Chloe. She assures him he only has food poisoning. He returns to his cabin, where he’s staying for an arts fellowship.

A few weeks later, August runs into Chloe at a Concord bakery. They chat for a minute before August asks Chloe on a date. He’s only ever asked one person out, but he’s bored in Wells Slope and needs a change. Chloe agrees. A few days later, they meet up at August’s and take a walk. They spend the next month dating and having sex. Then at the farmers’ market one Saturday, Chloe breaks up with him, insisting she’s too busy with work.

Back at home, August calls his best friend Elizabeth. They’ve been friends since childhood and have kept up, although Elizabeth now lives in Laos. On the phone, Elizabeth tells August about a cobra she found in her house, and August tells Elizabeth about Chloe and his frustrations with the fellowship. Elizabeth suggests he get a job, insisting he’d be less depressed if he were busier. She then reveals that she’s returning to the States to see her boyfriend Emerson next week and would love to see August.

At the museum the next day, August discovers an old headline about a 1929 murder mystery in Fog River. Intrigued, he asks a museum employee for more information, but she doesn’t know much more.

August visits the bakery in preparation for Elizabeth’s arrival and runs into Chloe. She seems distressed and asks to hang out. August agrees although he knows Elizabeth will be annoyed.

That afternoon, August, Elizabeth, and Chloe gather at August’s house. Elizabeth teases August about his writing. Feeling defensive, he tells the women about the Fog River mystery. Both intrigued, they suggest visiting the logging cabin where the crime allegedly occurred.

On the drive, Elizabeth pesters Chloe and August about their relationship. Chloe insists that August must have had a crush on Elizabeth when they were growing up. August denies it, but she’s right. He remembers how heartbroken he was when Elizabeth started seeing Emerson. Chloe asserts that eventually Elizabeth’s opinion of August will change, and she’ll want to be with him.

The companions arrive at the designated spot in the woods. They stumble around in search of the cabin where the loggers died, only finding a saw stuck in a tree. Suddenly, Chloe disappears. While August and Elizabeth look for her, Elizabeth tells August that she thinks Emerson is going to propose and asks his opinion on what she should do. August doesn’t think she should marry Emerson but doesn’t say so. Elizabeth gets annoyed by his diplomatic response. Chloe reappears, telling them to come see the cabin she found. The space is rundown and eerie, and they decide to leave.

Seven years later, August and Elizabeth are married. One day, a magazine with August’s first published story arrives in the mail. August is horrified when Elizabeth brings it in from the box. He’s been working on the story for years but hasn’t told Elizabeth about it—it was inspired by that day in the woods with Elizabeth and Chloe. He’s convinced Elizabeth will be upset by how he represented her in the story. Before she leaves for work, she makes August promise he’ll read it aloud to her that night. August doesn’t know what to do. He imagines the conversation they’ll have when she hears the story, realizing that could make for another good story.