Say Nothing

A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

By: Patrick Radden Keefe

Narrated by: Matthew Blaney

Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Empire of Pain—a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.

"Masked intruders dragged Jean McConville, a 38-year-old widow and mother of 10, from her Belfast home in 1972. In this meticulously reported book—as finely paced as a novel—Keefe uses McConville's murder as a prism to tell the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Interviewing people on both sides of the conflict, he transforms the tragic damage and waste of the era into a searing, utterly gripping saga." —New York Times Book Review

Jean McConville's abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.

Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders.

From radical and impetuous I.R.A. terrorists such as Dolours Price, who, when she was barely out of her teens, was already planting bombs in London and targeting informers for execution, to the ferocious I.R.A. mastermind known as The Dark, to the spy games and dirty schemes of the British Army, to Gerry Adams, who negotiated the peace but betrayed his hardcore comrades by denying his I.R.A. past--Say Nothing conjures a world of passion, betrayal, vengeance, and anguish.

Look for Patrick Radden Keefe's latest bestseller, Empire of Pain.

©2019 Patrick Radden Keefe (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE

"Resolutely humane. . .Say Nothing [has an] exacting and terrifying lucidity. . .meticulously reported. . .Keefe's narrative is an architectural feat, expertly constructed out of complex and contentious material, arranged and balanced just so. . .an absorbing drama.\ —JENNIFER SZALAI, The New York Times

"Say Nothing has lots of the qualities of good fiction. . . Keefe is a terrific storyteller. . .He brings his characters to real life. The book is cleverly structured. We follow people--victim, perpetrator, back to victim--leave them, forget about them, rejoin them decades later. It can be read as a detective story. . .What Keefe captures best, though, is the tragedy, the damage and waste, and the idea of moral injury. . .Say Nothing is an excellent account of the Troubles. —RODDY DOYLE, The New York Times Book Review

Gritty but essential

If you are interested at all in the N Ireland troubles then this is the book for you. Using some specific cases and IRA protagonists it travels much of the history of the North since the late 60s in a gritty non sparing way. The reading is excellent, and in the real deal NI vernacular.

Compelling historical journalism of the Troubles

Not sure why it is advertised as a murder mystery when it is much more of a history. It also has a major flaw, which the author admits in his notes—while detailing IRA violence, barely any mention of loyalist terrorism and British state violence. But very well written and gripping for someone relatively new to the history of the times.

Riveting

Rarely are a narrative and a narrator so meant for each other that is seems like the book is reading itself aloud, but this recording achieves that state of seamless storytelling. The story of a single mysterious murder of a mother of ten during "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, the reporting slowly teases out the complicated tangle of political beliefs, patriotism, personal loyalities and resentments that surrounded the killing. Blaney is equally good whether he is reading factual information or inhabiting the many tortured souls of the cast of characters. Absolutely riveting.

Stunning in all respects

This book is absolutely stunning piece of work. The narrative is multi-layered and the subject matter is deeply researched. Read it!

Not the whole story

This was an outstanding account. I had hoped that it would also have recounted the plots and nefarious deeds of the Loyalists and the British military forces, but that was outside the scope of his book.

Great insight into key events of The Troubles

This is not a comprehensive analysis of the troubles nor a detailed critique of the violence caused by the Protestant paramilitary groups or the state apparatus. The narrative covers The Disappeared by the IRA group The Unknowns and the oral histories by some of its former members using material from the Boston College Belfast Project. It provides fascinating insights into the character of Gerry Adams, the IRA Commander of Belfast (Adams has always farcically denied his IRA membership). Adams, like many players in Belfast in the 70s has much blood on his hands but along with McGuinness and Paisley eventually found enough common ground to end three decades of violent sectarian conflict via the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998. A highly recommended read for those interested in that period but it needs to be read alongside other publications in order to get a more comprehensive understanding of the tribal issues impacting the North of Ireland / Northern Ireland.

Gripping...and enlightening...

In my twenties, I was somewhat attuned to the goings on during Belfast's "Time of Troubles". The IRA cause was greatly romanticized by supporters here in the US, some among my peers (in Boston). Concurrently, the British role seemed fraught with missteps, as Protestant hegemony in Northern Ireland was relentless in its excesses. Patrick Keefe brings to life the depredations on all sides in his eminently even-keeled narrative. There are no winners here; only survivors.

Anyone interested in the events of the era, chronicled in compelling fashion, will find this book fascinating. For those less versed in the history, it serves a primer to the human tragedy implicit in all sectarian conflict. The scars are deep and long-lasting.

A Must Read!!

I love non-fiction and this book did not disappoint. I remember growing up during the heyday of the IRA activity and hearing about it on the news from the safety of my home in the US. This book gave a clear insight into the background of the IRA without adding any commentary. It was raw and pure. So fantastic to read! I can’t recommend enough!

Riveting

Fantastic, scary, and true. What else would anyone need in a book? If you have ever wondered about the complex history of the "troubles," this is your book. Oh, and the reader, with his Irish accent, makes the story so real.

Fascinating!

This history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland was an eye-opener for me. Quoting from almost everyone involved, the author stitches together an amazingly compelling history that reads like a fast-paced novel. The narrator has a perfect Northern Ireland accent (at least to my ear) that brings the book absolutely to life