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Hum
**OUT OF PRINT**
From New York Times bestselling author Michelle Richmond comes the story of a couple who have become “quietly lost to each other.” Paid to live in an apartment used for surveillance, they are separated and driven into silence by “the continual hum coming from the second bedroom, the source of our livelihood and of our growing discontent.” The wife violates the cardinal rule of their living situation – not to look in the second bedroom – and then seeks out the man she finds is being monitored. When a mysterious encounter in a dim hotel room leads to stunning consequences, the story becomes a cautionary political fable and a meditation on modern-day alienation. (Review from newpages.com) The story was originally published in The Missouri Review.
From New York Times bestselling author Michelle Richmond comes the story of a couple who have become “quietly lost to each other.” Paid to live in an apartment used for surveillance, they are separated and driven into silence by “the continual hum coming from the second bedroom, the source of our livelihood and of our growing discontent.” The wife violates the cardinal rule of their living situation – not to look in the second bedroom – and then seeks out the man she finds is being monitored. When a mysterious encounter in a dim hotel room leads to stunning consequences, the story becomes a cautionary political fable and a meditation on modern-day alienation. (Review from newpages.com) The story was originally published in The Missouri Review.
- GenresShort Stories
Nook
First published December 23, 2010
3 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Richmond
32 books1,100 followersThank you for stopping by! To read my serial novella, sign up for my newsletter at michellerichmond.substack.com
I also share books I love & glimpses into my writing life on TikTok: @michellerichmondwriter.
I grew up in Alabama and have lived in California for 20 years, with a two-year stint in Paris. My 2017 literary thriller, the Sunday Times bestseller THE MARRIAGE PACT, examines marriage under the extreme pressure of constant monitoring from a powerful organization called The Pact. The Pact promises to help couples have a happy, lasting marriage...but the punishments for breaking the rules are severe. THE MARRIAGE PACT is available in 31 languages.
My latest novel, THE WONDER TEST, a suburban suspense novel set in Silicon Valley (Grove Atlantic in, 2021) was an Amazon Best Book of July. In a starred review, Booklist called THE WONDER TEST "a gripping blend of danger and sharp social commentary on high-stakes education, the 1%, and suburban tropes." The first in a series, THE WONDER TEST introduces a tough and spirited new protagonist, FBI agent Lina Connerly, and her teenaged son Rory.
To get updates, exclusive previews, free audio short stories, and (coming soon) serialized fiction, sign up for my newsletter at michellerichmond.substack.com.
You can also read my true stories of living in Paris, traveling, and writing at wanderingwriter.substack.com
My previous books include the New York Times bestseller THE YEAR of FOG, GOLDEN STATE, HUM: STORIES, NO ONE YOU KNOW, DREAM OF THE BLUE ROOM, and THE GIRL IN THE FALL-AWAY DRESS (stories).
I like to write about ordinary people in crisis: a kidnapping (The Year of Fog), a hostage situation (Golden State), a decades-old murder that became a true crime sensation (No One You Know). My novels are often set in San Francisco and the Bay Area, where I've made my home, but my books also take inspiration from many of the places I've lived and traveled. My story collection HUM (2014) features Americans caught up in espionage, surveillance, and all manner of marital crimes.
If you love discovering new books, or if you've enjoyed any of my books, I'd love to send you my author newsletter! It includes notes on what I'm reading, and dispatches from the writing life. You can sign up for the newsletter at http://michellerichmond.com.
Back story: I knew I wanted to be a writer for almost as long as I can remember, way back when I was a kid growing up in Alabama. I used to write skits to perform for my parents with my two sisters. After graduating from a huge public school in downtown Mobile, I studied journalism and creative writing at the University of Alabama, then worked in advertising, as well as in restaurants and a tanning salon (!) for a few years before enrolling in an MFA program in creative writing. I bounced around the South for a while and lived in New York City for a couple of years, with a brief work stint in Beijing, before settling in Northern California in 1999. I've been writing here in the fog ever since.
My first book, The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress was a short story collection that I wrote during my years waitressing and doing other odd jobs in Knoxville and Atlanta. My first novel, Dream of the Blue Room, was inspired by my time in Beijing. My second novel, The Year of Fog, gathered many rejections before being acquired by a young editor at Bantam. The Year of Fog was a life-changing book in that in allowed me to connect with readers in ways I'd never quite imagined, and it gave me the freedom to pursue writing full time. Writing is my dream job. It's a job I do alone in a quiet room, but because it allows me to connect with readers, it never feels lonely.
I also share books I love & glimpses into my writing life on TikTok: @michellerichmondwriter.
I grew up in Alabama and have lived in California for 20 years, with a two-year stint in Paris. My 2017 literary thriller, the Sunday Times bestseller THE MARRIAGE PACT, examines marriage under the extreme pressure of constant monitoring from a powerful organization called The Pact. The Pact promises to help couples have a happy, lasting marriage...but the punishments for breaking the rules are severe. THE MARRIAGE PACT is available in 31 languages.
My latest novel, THE WONDER TEST, a suburban suspense novel set in Silicon Valley (Grove Atlantic in, 2021) was an Amazon Best Book of July. In a starred review, Booklist called THE WONDER TEST "a gripping blend of danger and sharp social commentary on high-stakes education, the 1%, and suburban tropes." The first in a series, THE WONDER TEST introduces a tough and spirited new protagonist, FBI agent Lina Connerly, and her teenaged son Rory.
To get updates, exclusive previews, free audio short stories, and (coming soon) serialized fiction, sign up for my newsletter at michellerichmond.substack.com.
You can also read my true stories of living in Paris, traveling, and writing at wanderingwriter.substack.com
My previous books include the New York Times bestseller THE YEAR of FOG, GOLDEN STATE, HUM: STORIES, NO ONE YOU KNOW, DREAM OF THE BLUE ROOM, and THE GIRL IN THE FALL-AWAY DRESS (stories).
I like to write about ordinary people in crisis: a kidnapping (The Year of Fog), a hostage situation (Golden State), a decades-old murder that became a true crime sensation (No One You Know). My novels are often set in San Francisco and the Bay Area, where I've made my home, but my books also take inspiration from many of the places I've lived and traveled. My story collection HUM (2014) features Americans caught up in espionage, surveillance, and all manner of marital crimes.
If you love discovering new books, or if you've enjoyed any of my books, I'd love to send you my author newsletter! It includes notes on what I'm reading, and dispatches from the writing life. You can sign up for the newsletter at http://michellerichmond.com.
Back story: I knew I wanted to be a writer for almost as long as I can remember, way back when I was a kid growing up in Alabama. I used to write skits to perform for my parents with my two sisters. After graduating from a huge public school in downtown Mobile, I studied journalism and creative writing at the University of Alabama, then worked in advertising, as well as in restaurants and a tanning salon (!) for a few years before enrolling in an MFA program in creative writing. I bounced around the South for a while and lived in New York City for a couple of years, with a brief work stint in Beijing, before settling in Northern California in 1999. I've been writing here in the fog ever since.
My first book, The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress was a short story collection that I wrote during my years waitressing and doing other odd jobs in Knoxville and Atlanta. My first novel, Dream of the Blue Room, was inspired by my time in Beijing. My second novel, The Year of Fog, gathered many rejections before being acquired by a young editor at Bantam. The Year of Fog was a life-changing book in that in allowed me to connect with readers in ways I'd never quite imagined, and it gave me the freedom to pursue writing full time. Writing is my dream job. It's a job I do alone in a quiet room, but because it allows me to connect with readers, it never feels lonely.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 8, 2023
“Think of it as a luxurious house arrest.”
The narrator and her husband accept free run of a large house along with the full time responsibility for a room full of humming, vibrating technological spy equipment. They could still go out to movies, eat at restaurants, view museum exhibits - just not together, at the same time, and they had to take turns going to work. The narrator becomes bored and breaks a number of rules. I enjoyed this little glimpse of a life circumscribed by those rules, and realized I’d have been far more suited to the job than the couple in the story. But that’s just me. 4 stars.
The narrator and her husband accept free run of a large house along with the full time responsibility for a room full of humming, vibrating technological spy equipment. They could still go out to movies, eat at restaurants, view museum exhibits - just not together, at the same time, and they had to take turns going to work. The narrator becomes bored and breaks a number of rules. I enjoyed this little glimpse of a life circumscribed by those rules, and realized I’d have been far more suited to the job than the couple in the story. But that’s just me. 4 stars.
May 24, 2021
Phenomenal ... but it was not a dystopian genre like I had surmised. Rather, it was sublime realism that made fantastical realities believable. I was especially riveted by Scales as it delves into the concept of "Consent."
September 5, 2017
I used this book as a filler book until I could download more books onto my kindle and was pleasantly surprised. Strange Sci-fi type stories that I enjoyed very much and some that I wanted a little bit more of. This book surpassed my expectations.
October 23, 2014
Makes me want to go back through change all my other 5 star ratings to 4 stars. Inventive and true. Some reads inspire me to listen, some reads challenge me to converse and this is one of the latter. Like a discussion with a person who knows you deeply but not completely, where you both come with high expectations of the rigor you'll employ to keep learning from yourselves and from each other.
August 31, 2011
It was alittle too short for my liking. But it was a great read. It left me wanting to know more about the characters and to continue with the story...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews