The History of Sound: Stories

In December 1907, first-person narrator Thomas Thurber leaves his home in Concord to spend the winter logging in Fog River. At his wife Isabelle’s suggestion, he keeps a journal while away about his experiences.

In Fog River, Thomas shares a cabin with several men. Most of them are rough, and the conditions are difficult. It’s a harsh winter, but Thomas doesn’t mind the change of scenery. As the days pass, however, his outlook starts to change. He’s most disturbed by how the older men treat another man, Winslow, who is younger and less experienced. Thomas knows it can bring a group together to collectively attack the weakest member. He sometimes considers defending Winslow but tries not to get involved.

After one particularly bad altercation between Winslow and the men, Thomas invites Winslow on a walk with him. They spend the afternoon chatting about their lives. Thomas discovers that Winslow’s father died years prior, and not long later, his mother died, too. Winslow took on the responsibility of caring for his sister, but she died in childbirth. Alone and unsure what to do with himself, Winslow joined the logging team.

One day, some of the horses go missing, and the men blame each other.