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sheriffrockyraccoon 's review for:
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
As someone raised very Irish-American, the subject matter depicted by Patrick Radden Keefe took on an entirely new life thanks to his extensive research and detailed accounts. I really enjoyed this book and looked forward to each new chapter as if it were a hearty meal- fulfilling with variety and genuine thought and care.
My main complaint is more with stylistic choice than anything I could actually consider a “fault”. As Say Nothing is narrative nonfiction, it does take certain liberties with small amounts of dialogue and conjecture. Radden Keefe does an excellent job explaining such cases in his notes, which is much appreciated. I also found some of the chapters seemed stilted and more essay-like rather than contributing to the overall plot, but they were incredibly interesting nonetheless.
I really loved this book and am glad I committed to it, despite its density and length being a bit intimidating. Radden Keefe answered a lot of questions I have as an American who witnesses discussions of the Troubles from afar, and places the reader into the thick of it. While there is some author bias, I do think Radden Keefe’s ultimate conclusion that we will never know the whole truth behind the IRA and the Troubles is well founded in research from many different parties.
I would recommend this title to anyone interested in Ireland, contemporary history, or just a well researched book.
My main complaint is more with stylistic choice than anything I could actually consider a “fault”. As Say Nothing is narrative nonfiction, it does take certain liberties with small amounts of dialogue and conjecture. Radden Keefe does an excellent job explaining such cases in his notes, which is much appreciated. I also found some of the chapters seemed stilted and more essay-like rather than contributing to the overall plot, but they were incredibly interesting nonetheless.
I really loved this book and am glad I committed to it, despite its density and length being a bit intimidating. Radden Keefe answered a lot of questions I have as an American who witnesses discussions of the Troubles from afar, and places the reader into the thick of it. While there is some author bias, I do think Radden Keefe’s ultimate conclusion that we will never know the whole truth behind the IRA and the Troubles is well founded in research from many different parties.
I would recommend this title to anyone interested in Ireland, contemporary history, or just a well researched book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
It’s the Troubles, I believe even with the most minor knowledge of what happened can properly prepare you for the content in this book.