The Silent History
Published on 3. September 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-0-09-959286-0 (ISBN)
Description
A generation of children are born without speech, without comprehension, without language entirely.
At first, they are just medical curiosities. But their numbers swell, and soon they grow into an established underclass, occupying squats and communes around the world. To some they are seen as a threat; to others, as a salvation. Some suspect they may have other abilities beyond our understanding.
The children cannot tell you their story. Instead we rely on The Silent History, a collection of testimonies from those touched by the phenomenon. Parents, doctors, opportunist inventors, cult leaders, and vigilantes, recall what they have endured and what they have inflicted on others. They will take you from a recognisable present to a real and unsettling future. You will not want to look away.
At first, they are just medical curiosities. But their numbers swell, and soon they grow into an established underclass, occupying squats and communes around the world. To some they are seen as a threat; to others, as a salvation. Some suspect they may have other abilities beyond our understanding.
The children cannot tell you their story. Instead we rely on The Silent History, a collection of testimonies from those touched by the phenomenon. Parents, doctors, opportunist inventors, cult leaders, and vigilantes, recall what they have endured and what they have inflicted on others. They will take you from a recognisable present to a real and unsettling future. You will not want to look away.
Reviews / Votes
An imaginative investigation into the besetting issues of our information-saturated society... Manages to feel relentlessly thoughtful and new. -- Tim Martin * The Times * A completely new kind of novel. * Bookseller * For all technology can add to storytelling, it's better as a proper book... Very funny... Makes some keen observations about the trouble people have understanding one another. * Stuff * The high-concept premise is brilliantly simple. * i * A compelling story about difference, rights and power. -- Richard House * Guardian * The plot more than stands on its own two feet, driven by classic narrative virtues: chases, hints of the supernatural, a dystopian thriller, intellectual mystery and cosmic jigsaw puzzle. -- James Kidd * National * Chilling and intelligent thriller about words and intelligence, youth and politics. * New Scientist * an engaging portrait of the iGeneration * Independent * The technological dimension of the project is cool, and the execution is fantastic. But I'm hooked on the story itself. -- Jon Mooallem * New York Times * Entirely revolutionary * Wired *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
362 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-959286-0 (9780099592860)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Eli Horowitz | Kevin Moffett | Matthew Derby
The Silent History
E-Book
07/2014
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€12.99
Available for download
Persons
Eli Horowitz is the former managing editor and publisher of McSweeney's. He is the co-author of The Clock Without a Face, a treasure-hunt mystery, and Everything You Know Is Pong, an illustrated cultural history of ping pong. His design work has been honoured by i-D, Print and the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
Matthew Derby is a writer and designer and the author of the story collection Super Flat Times. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's, The Believer, Guernica and The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories. He also works at a video game studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
www.matthewderby.org
Kevin Moffett is the author of two highly praised story collections, Permanent Visitors and Further Interpretations of Real-Life Events. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, Tin House, American Short Fiction, as well as in three editons of The Best American Short Stories. He is the winner of the Nelson Algren Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the National Magazine Award. He lives in California.
www.kevinmoffett.org
Matthew Derby is a writer and designer and the author of the story collection Super Flat Times. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's, The Believer, Guernica and The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories. He also works at a video game studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
www.matthewderby.org
Kevin Moffett is the author of two highly praised story collections, Permanent Visitors and Further Interpretations of Real-Life Events. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, Tin House, American Short Fiction, as well as in three editons of The Best American Short Stories. He is the winner of the Nelson Algren Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the National Magazine Award. He lives in California.
www.kevinmoffett.org