Say Nothing

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Non-Fiction, History & Politics, British History, 20th Century Britain, European History, Irish History | Paperback Published on: 22/08/2019
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Bookseller Reviews

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Say Nothing
One of the best pieces of non-fiction you'll ever read
Patrick Radden Keefe is a master storyteller and does an incredible job of making the Troubles feel personal. He does this by opening with Jean McConville,... READ MORE
Bookseller Emma

Synopsis

Our Irish Book of the Month for October 2019

Winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2019

One night in December 1972, Jean McConville, a mother of ten, was abducted from her home in Belfast and never seen alive again. Her disappearance would haunt her orphaned children, the perpetrators of this terrible crime and a whole society in Northern Ireland for decades.

In this powerful, scrupulously reported book, Patrick Radden Keefe offers not just a forensic account of a brutal crime but a vivid portrait of the world in which it happened. The tragedy of an entire country is captured in the spellbinding narrative of a handful of characters, presented in lyrical and unforgettable detail.

A poem by Seamus Heaney inspires the title: `Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'. By defying the culture of silence, Keefe illuminates how a close-knit society fractured; how people chose sides in a conflict and turned to violence; and how, when the shooting stopped, some ex-combatants came to look back in horror at the atrocities they had committed, while others continue to advocate violence even today.

Say Nothing deftly weaves the stories of Jean McConville and her family with those of Dolours Price, the first woman to join the IRA as a front-line soldier, who bombed the Old Bailey when barely out of her teens; Gerry Adams, who helped bring an end to the fighting, but denied his own IRA past; Brendan Hughes, a fearsome IRA commander who turned on Adams after the peace process and broke the IRA's code of silence; and other indelible figures. By capturing the intrigue, the drama and the profound human cost of the Troubles, the book presents a searing chronicle of the lengths that people are willing to go to in pursuit of a political ideal, and the ways in which societies mend - or don't - in the aftermath of a long and bloody conflict.

  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • ISBN: 9780008159269
  • Number of pages: 528
  • Weight: 460g
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 40 mm

Customer Reviews

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Say Nothing
An essential read about a troubled time in history
I am well versed to have an opinion on this book, I am a child of the 50's and spent my teenage years as a student in Belfast. We as residents of this trou... READ MORE
Rob
Say Nothing
Read in 1 sitting.
Nothing more needs to be said....
Mark Heddle
Say Nothing
A Beautiful, Clear Voice
Keefe's training as a journalist is what I think makes this book shine; out of all the books I've ever read (and tried to read) about the Troubles, this on... READ MORE
Saba Sodhi
Say Nothing
Brilliant
I don’t normally read non-fiction, but I absolutely loved this book. By featuring the same few people throughout, it’s easy to follow and become immersed i... READ MORE
Sean O'Brien
Say Nothing
You must read this
Couldn't put this book down & read in one sitting
Elizabeth Coxon
Say Nothing
Book Review-Say Nothing Patrick Radden Keefe by Samuel Miller Thursday 30 June 2022
As someone who grew up in England during the 1970's and 80's,during the time of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, (my experience of it was watching televis... READ MORE
Samuel Miller
Say Nothing
One of the best non fiction books I’ve read
This book is extremely well researched and also provides eye witness accounts of IRA operations but tells it in a way that reads like a gripping thriller. ... READ MORE
Trey Tyler
Say Nothing
A must read!
Despite having some understanding of The Troubles from study in school as well as living through the newsreels of the 80s and 90s, this book gives incredib... READ MORE
Lisa Coyle
Say Nothing
Brilliantly bringing untold history to the surface
The author combines meticulous research with an amazing storytelling ability. Unusually for me, I re-read it. My second reading was more gripping.
Fred Campbell
Say Nothing
Brilliant
A compelling read and piece of investigative journalism. The author’s background as a journalist stands out in the fast pace and artful storytelling . ... READ MORE
Alex Haley
Say Nothing
Completely Gripping
I loved Empire of Pain and immediately went out and bought every other book by Radden Keefe. This got bumped up the to read pile after I watched an amazing... READ MORE
Katy Wheatley
Say Nothing
Fantastically & grippingly written
Like other reviewers, I am also not normally a non-fiction reader. However, the style of writing makes it easy to follow and set-up of the chapters helps k... READ MORE
Shanon
Say Nothing
If you thought the tv series was good…
Say Nothing looks like a tome but it is a real page turner. I read it over a few days and as I was on set as an extra, making part of the tv series for fx... READ MORE
paulcraignorman