Quiet Torrential Sound

Quiet Torrential Sound is a 1995 short play by American writer Joan Ackermann. It consists mainly of a dialogue between two sisters, Claire and Monica, who meet in a cafe after watching a band play Beethoven in a public park. While Claire sits passively, Monica rambles to her sister about art and music to no real effect – interrupted only by their waiter. Once Claire decides to talk, it is about an entirely different subject; the weight of her previous silence and disinterest exerts a power that undermines Monica’s position. The play demonstrates that words in themselves do not take primacy over silence and that nonverbal communication has its own place in literature, and function in the social world.

Quiet Torrential Sound begins in the cafe after Beethoven. Monica, the older sister, gives her opinion on the table’s flowers, then rambles about the concert they just experienced together. A waiter appears to take their order. At length, Monica orders a decaf coffee. Claire orders a hot fudge sundae and a Coke. Monica warns Claire about her figure, which convinces her to order a Diet Coke instead. Monica complains about the cold temperature and asks for the cafe’s fan to be turned off. The waiter explains that there is no fan, but the reality of there being no fan eludes Monica.

Monica starts to tell the waiter, who visibly has no interest in small talk, about the Beethoven concert. She adds random factoids that unravel into absurdities; for example, the brand of bug spray she is wearing. When he leaves, Monica barely skips a beat and finishes giving her take on the concert. Then she asks Claire to explain exactly what she liked about it. The waiter arrives with the sisters’ orders. Monica announces that she can always sense if coffee is decaffeinated. She explains that Beethoven was deaf, then shows off her knowledge of art. Finally, Claire speaks. She tells Monica that she recently visited a masturbation workshop. Through the sisters’ dialogue, it is revealed that neither has had an orgasm. Monica mockingly congratulates Claire for exploring her sexuality, then changes topics to the Norman Rockwell Museum. Monica and Claire begin to talk at each other, neither listening to what the other has to say. At last, Monica tells Claire to shut up.

When the waiter comes back, Monica gripes that the coffee is caffeinated, and reiterates her claim about having the power to distinguish caffeinated coffee from decaf. She says that the coffee will inevitably give her a headache. Possibly to toy with her, the waiter admits that she gave her caffeinated coffee. Monica berates her for lacking “culture,” and the waiter walks out. Monica turns to Claire, complaining that she never thanked her for planning their vacation. In another inexplicable change of heart, Monica says “sorry” to Claire for being rude. She asks her sister to give her any learning resources she might get from her workshop. When the waiter returns, Monica gives her a tip of $10, well over what they owe, as an apologetic gesture.