How much of this book is actual narrative versus research notes?

Approximately one-fifth of the book consists of extensive notes and references, which provide additional context and source documentation for the events described.

Is there a screen adaptation of this book?

A nine-part limited series based on the book was released in 2024, which received a Peabody Award for its exploration of the conflict and its aftermath.

Does the author consider this a history book?

The author explicitly clarifies in his notes that this work is intended as narrative non-fiction rather than a formal history book.

Say Nothing

A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Narrative non-fiction History Politics & Society

Pages: 464
Published: 2018
Language: English

In 1972 Belfast, Jean McConville, a mother of ten, was abducted from her home by masked intruders. This meticulously researched book uses her murder as a lens to explore the history of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the conflict's devastating impact by interviewing those involved on all sides.

Prose complexity: 7/10

Dark Tense Informative Reflective Complex

Morally Grey

Patrick Radden Keefe

Patrick Radden Keefe is an award-winning staff writer at The New Yorker magazine and the author of the New York Times bestseller Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, as well as two other books: The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream, and Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping. He started contributing to The New Yorker in 2006 and has written articles about the chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, the...

Frequently asked questions

How much of this book is actual narrative versus research notes?
Approximately one-fifth of the book consists of extensive notes and references, which provide additional context and source documentation for the events described.
Is there a screen adaptation of this book?
A nine-part limited series based on the book was released in 2024, which received a Peabody Award for its exploration of the conflict and its aftermath.
Does the author consider this a history book?
The author explicitly clarifies in his notes that this work is intended as narrative non-fiction rather than a formal history book.