Say Nothing (book)

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland is a 2019 book by Patrick Radden Keefe. Keefe began researching and writing the book after reading the obituary for Dolours Price in 2013.[2]

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Cover of first edition
AuthorPatrick Radden Keefe
Audio read byMatthew Blaney[1]
Cover artistStefano Archetti (photo)
Oliver Munday (design)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectThe Troubles
PublisherDoubleday
Publication date
February 26, 2019
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages464
Awards2019 Orwell Prize for Political Writing
ISBN978-0-385-52131-4
364.152/3092
LC ClassHV6574.G7 K44 2019

Summary

The books concerns the Troubles in Northern Ireland, beginning with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville.

Title

The book's title is taken from the poem "Whatever You Say, Say Nothing" by Irish Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney from his collection North (1975).[2]

Publication

Say Nothing was first published in hardcover by Doubleday on February 26, 2019.[3]

The book debuted at number seven on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction best-sellers list on March 17, 2019.[4] It spent six weeks on the list.[5]

The book debuted at number five on The New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction best-sellers list on March 17, 2019.[6] It spent six weeks on the list.[7]

Reception

At the review aggregator website Book Marks, which assigns individual ratings to book reviews from mainstream literary critics, the book received a cumulative "Rave" rating based on 21 reviews: 11 "Rave" reviews and 10 "Positive" reviews.[8] Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times wrote, "Keefe's narrative is an architectural feat, expertly constructed out of complex and contentious material, arranged and balanced just so."[9]

The book was named one of the top ten books of 2019 by both the New York Times Book Review[10] and the Washington Post.[11] It won the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction.[12]

References
  1. "Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe". Penguin Random House.
  2. Kroll, Andy (February 26, 2019). "Terrorism, Torture and 3,600 Lives Lost: Revisiting 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland". Rolling Stone.
  3. "Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe". Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  4. "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers". The New York Times. March 17, 2019.
  5. "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers". The New York Times. April 21, 2019.
  6. "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. March 17, 2019.
  7. "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. April 21, 2019.
  8. "Book Marks reviews of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe". Book Marks.
  9. Szalai, Jennifer (February 20, 2019). "'Say Nothing' Unearths Buried Secrets in Northern Ireland". The New York Times.
  10. "The 10 Best Books of 2019". The New York Times. November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  11. "Best Books of 2019". The Washington Post. November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  12. Beth Parker (March 12, 2020). "Announcing the 2019 Award Winners". bookcritics.org. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
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