Say Nothing

On a par with I'll Be Gone in the Dark, plus...

a tremendous portrait of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970's and 1980's. Even if you aren't particularly interested in Irish history, this reads in large part like a detective novel. What the McConville family went through after the widowed mother of ten is kidnapped and murdered by the IRA is harrowing, and I felt myself with a heavy heart at many points in the book. Various people characterize the man suspected by most as having ordered the hit (and the murders of many others) as a sociopath, Machiavellian, a man in complete denial, or a statesman. The book raises the painful questions throughout: are brutal acts forgivable in the creation of a new country/society? are they necessary? The people described so beautifully and so poignantly will stay with me for a long, long time. The experience of the hunger strikers and others imprisoned for IRA crimes, the PTSD and dark nights of the soul that never end...all combine to create a memorable book. Plus, the narrator is perfect. He speaks in a quiet, intimate tone as if giving you confidential information. He never over-dramatizes and in fact conveys a quiet reverence for the experiences of the people portrayed. I stayed up much too late for two nights, hating to put this excellent book down. PS If at first the Northern Ireland accent is hard, give it time.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

A Well Researched and Hopeful Book

Took a while to get into the book. But once I did I was hooked! The book is a beautiful embroidering of time, politics, people and place. It is history and prediction. The stories are harrowing, uplifting, heartbreaking, and oh so maddening. It’s impossible to listen to this book without forming a deep respect for those directly affected. The road to peace fractured friendships, isolated and exposed the darker, murkier aspects of a struggle. It required extraordinary sacrifices. Many willingly paid the ultimate price.

It is a stinging indictment of whole communities and a sobering less of society’s cruelty towards the other. The treatment of the McConville children by neighbors, public institutions and the Catholic Church is particularly heartbreaking. This book is as much about Ireland as it is about the human condition: injustice breeds violence, violence begats violence, wrapping all. The book is a cautionary tale against oppression and denial of security, social, economic and political opportunities to ethnic minorities. Institutional injustice and terror has never stilled a martyr’s cause. Those who seek change by violent means are on a slippery slope. We know all this, but what this book does so well is highlighting the granular level at which this happens and the impact on individuals, groups, organizations, and the state.

A beautifully narrated well crafted and researched book. A hopeful book for those seeking closure and justice. It will take a while to part company with the characters. The education I got from this book will last a life time.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Brilliant ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Outstanding, in-depth study of one of the great mysteries of The Troubles. The author describes the testimony, history and character of each participant in this epic tragedy with as clear an eye as possible, attempting to mine a defining truth from an era of passion and chaos. A brilliant true-crime story and history lesson at once, and the first 5 star rating I’ve given in ages.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

An excellent and compelling listen

Although at times appearing as an apologia of Republican terrorism, this is an excellent, compelling yet ultimately very depressing book.

What struck me the most were the intense feelings of betrayal that former IRA terrorists felt towards the political leadership of Sinn Fein. Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, many of the IRA’s fighters ended up asking themselves whether the murder, torture and terrorism the were participants in, had even been worth it. Many of these former terrorists suffered from PTSD, and continue to do so today.
Finally, the book debunks Gerry Adams’ claims to have never been a member of the IRA. In fact, the book argues, he was its leader.
This

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Enlightening

Like any Irish-American kid growing up in the 80's I was aware of the "Troubles" but it seemed so far removed from me that it didn't quite register on my radar. This gives a harrowing view into both sides of the conflict and how it's not so simple to say "so and so was a terrorist" or "zealot". They spread horror for sure but you also get the point of view here of the IRA members/former members regrets as time passes and they look back on what they had done and how the ideal they believed so strongly in, vanished. It just gives such a great insight into the complications of religious politics and culture clashes, while weaving in a murder mystery.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Troubles

Best book on The Troubles I’ve listened to or read yet. Could not stop listening.

Extraordinary

One of the most remarkable works of narrative non-fiction I've read in a long while, perhaps ever. I learned about the Troubles in North Ireland while I was growing up, but only in bits and pieces, on the news, in the papers, from a family visit to Ireland as a teenager. This impeccably researched, brilliantly constructed book--shaped around the interwoven stories of victims and killers alike--brings the Troubles to heartbreaking life. More than this: it speaks to issues of collective trauma, shared culpability, and willed forgetting that are all too real today. Marvelous narration.

Speak, O Memory

The title, a quote from a Seamus Heaney poem, gains more weight and significance as the book progresses. I’ve always been an IRA sympathizer from a great distance, and I still side with the Republican desire to be free from England, but it is impossible after finishing this to condone the actions of either side during the long and terrible religious war in Ireland. The book is powerful in its scope, commitment to the truth, and compassion for all those who still suffer in silence.

Interesting and Important Narrative

This book covers important oral histories and the ramifications that follow decisions on the reporting of The Troubles of Northern Ireland. This piece is well-written, thoughtful and engaging and represents a quality piece of narrative non-fiction.

Best Book on The Troubles available on Audible

As a history buff I tend to find a subject or time period and then read as many books on that subject as I can. Unfortunately there are not many books on Northern Ireland available on Audible. I had purchased the documentary "The Disappeared" from Amazon a little over a year ago and was familiar with the Jean McConville case. Therefore I was very excited to see this book come up on the pre-order list and was not disappointed in the least. After starting this I also watched the documentary "I, Dolours", and both are essentially companions to this text.

If you are interested in The Troubles I would strongly recommend this. It is informative, the narration is very good, and it is engrossing.