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

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In 1972, Jean McConville, widow, mother of ten, disappeared. Decades later her body was found. Rumors were she was an informer -- informing on the IRA to the British -- and the IRA took her and executed her for that.

That simple, sad, tragic death is the background for this book, which then proceeds to tell the story of Northern Ireland and the British and IRA.

For some reason, it takes me longer to read nonfiction than fiction. There is so much going on; so many factors, so many people, such complicated events.

This is the story of Northern Ireland. And I'm not going to even try to say what that means in a line or two, because it's almost impossible to do so.

Say Nothing focuses on a handful of people, telling those stories and those motivations. It's so much tragedy: loss of lives, loss of youth, loss of innocence.

Anyway. If you don't understand the politics and history of Northern Ireland, read this. If you're wondering why the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland is talked about, this will give some depth to understanding.

Also: if you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend the play The Ferryman, which is also about the IRA and buried bodies.

Also: No, I haven't seen Derry Girls on Netflix yet, and it's on my list.







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