While every man should read more novels, not every man has the time — especially when they’ll all be perfectly serviceable movies someday, amiright?
Well here’s the one novel you can read right now, and should: presenting The Silent History — a serialized, iPhone and iPad experience that’s part mystery novel, part scavenger hunt, and all digestible in 15-minute chunks.
The story: somewhere in the near future, children are being born without the ability to speak (oh, sweet nirvana), yet possess strange, otherworldly powers.
Written by the former editor of “McSweeney’s” and a “writer’s room” of contributors, the story unfolds like a TV drama’s arc, drawing you in one tiny chunk at a time while building upon a larger, longer storyline.
To get started, just download the app — the opening page presents you with six color-coded dials. Turn the dials to receive a small story, a.k.a. a “testimonial” as told by the doctors, faith healers, and parents who’re chronicling the epidemic.
The app also uses GPS to reveal extra narratives, or “field reports.” So you can interact with the fiction while you’re, say, driving around town or waiting in line.
If you’re feeling inspired, you can contribute your own field reports to build on the story.
You may have to wait a while for the residuals, though.
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