Plot Summary – A stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.

★★★★★

Every so often, a book comes into your life that changes your perspective on life itself. I often find myself having the argument that art means more than just entertainment, if art can have an impact on people then the art is meaningful and holds value. The greatest works of art are exceedingly entertaining and hold great meaning at the same time. I don’t think I have read a book that has taught me so much while keeping me thrilled throughout. Patrick Radden Keefe is an author who’s books I have meant to read forever, but never got around to it. I am so glad I picked up Say Nothing because I couldn’t put it down once I had gotten into the thick of it.

Investigative journalism and narrative non-fiction are not really the genre of book that I typically read. I find that fiction can be a great vessel for conveying ideas and themes. Every now and then though I am reminded of how well reality can be framed. In this account of murder and the collective memories of a people in Norther Ireland, I was able to learn so much about The Troubles. I have been mildly interested in The Troubles for a while now, but never had I read anything that goes this deep into the conflict but what it does differently than a textbook or historical account is focus on the humans that make up its world.

It follows the victims as well as the perpetrators, Keefe goes on the ground level and paints a picture of day-to-day life within this conflict but manages to give you a very detailed and descriptive account of some of the most crucial people in the war. Keefe bravely covers so many murders, acts of violence, and government cover-ups and you find how far it went and how often people like Presidents and Prime Ministers were involved.  It can be a hard read at times – not only with the sad and gruesome nature of its topic but also because of the density of the information being given but it all ties together. I think the book is phenomenal at narrative storytelling, it doesn’t forget the rules of a story. It still has arcs, characters, conflict and structure. It’s just that, amazingly, it is all true. You know a piece of non-fiction is great when there are almost a hundred pages of sources.

Say Nothing is a must-read. If not merely to learn about the Troubles and how it affected people in Belfast and across Northern Ireland, then to follow this decades-spanning investigative story. It is a murder-mystery, crime-drama, political thriller and a memoir all rolled into one comprehensive package. I highly highly recommend this book!