The Silence is the Noise

by Bart Schaneman

After a few years living in cities, Ethan Thomas returns to his rural Nebraska hometown and takes a reporting job at the community newspaper. He stumbles upon a big story when an out-of-state oil company pumps enough fracking wastewater into the ground to induce earthquakes. This is a story about the complicated relationship we have with the places we know best, the pull of the outside world, and finding something to love.

170 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2018

About the author

Bart Schaneman lives and writes in South Korea. He has published numerous stories, essays and poems and is most recently the author of The Pot Job.

Reviews

[b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine writing from Bart Schaneman on place. Also a look into fracking and journalism and coming of age. And how such things divide us. Look forward to reading more from this writer. Recommended.

[jillian krinsky:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ooo i read this at the airport from den -> msp. honestly for the high praise it’s gotten, im lowkey pretty disappointed. 1 star for cute cover & good chapters, 1 star for setting, 1 star for critical current event. no stars for:
lackluster character development, not coming close to wrapping up what the story started, one dimensional female character with cool backstory (i guess), too many loose ends and the dialogue was honestly quite boring (i felt as if i was reading my high school short stories).

very disappointing bc i’ve heard rly good things ab it!! good message and probably better for somebody who’s unfamiliar with these topics. i’m happy i bought it & i think it’ll be there for when i need to suggest it to someone but DARNNN im disappointed

[Houlcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schaneman’s writing is sparse, utilitarian and, as a result, poignantly beautiful. There’s nothing wasted, with so much of the story left for us to fill in ourselves, moments implied but unwritten, where the shape is formed by the shape of the words around it.
Coming from a small town myself, albeit one on the other side of the world to Ethan’s Nebraska, I understand the draw these places have upon us, that connection between identity and place that can never be replaced, only put aside, and all the idiosyncrasies of those who never left. Schaneman captures it all so succinctly and delicately.
It’s a phenomenal piece of writing, a polishing of the prose established in The Green and The Gold, yet its own beast entirely.

Best paired with a smear of newspaper ink, the smell of brine and the deep rumble of the ground shifting under your feet.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm interested to learn how much is based on Schaneman's actual experiences and how much is pure fiction. Fracking is an important issue and it's good that it's being represented in the arts.