Thanks to Doubleday Books for sending me a free copy of this book.

In Northern Ireland in 1972, Jean McConville was abducted from the home she shared with her ten children and was never seen again. Expanding outward from this incident, SAY NOTHING explores the years of conflict known as the Troubles and the enduring secrets and traumas members of the IRA have dealt with as a result of the war.

I knew next to nothing about this era in Irish history before beginning this book. Keefe lays out the key players and events clearly - there’s a ton of information in this book but I never felt lost or unable to keep track of who was who, even when it seemed like everyone was a double (or triple!) agent.

Parts of the book read like narrative fiction, in part due to the easy flow of the writing, and part because the truth can be stranger than fiction. And “truth” is sort of a bendable concept here. Keefe talks about how memory can be unreliable and how we often distort or even invent memories we can live with rather than deal with the reality. Add that to the intense culture of secrecy in the ranks of the IRA, and you’re often left with several versions of the truth.

The trauma and PTSD these people dealt with was also handled quite delicately. They’re never let off the hook for their crimes, but it is an in-depth look at how fighting your neighbors in a decades-long paramilitary war leaves everyone with both emotional and physical scars.