The Importance of Historical Storytelling, as seen in Keefe's "Say Nothing"

     Although this was an assigned reading for a class, I can honestly say that it has become one of my new personal favorites. In Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, American journalist Patrick Radden Keefe recounts the horrors of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the myriad of events both leading up to and succeeding these tumultuous years in modern history. Following the stories of several larger-than-life characters on all sides of the conflict, Keefe presents an honest portrayal of the Troubles in all its complexity.
     Keefe starts with the stories of several seemingly unrelated individuals on the Ulster Protestant, Catholic Republican, and even British sides of the conflict, gradually revealing how the actions and decisions made by one group had a profound impact on the entirety of Northern Ireland, and in some ways, the world.
      Preserving memory through storytelling is an important practice, and Keefe makes this clear through the passionate detail he pours into Say Nothing. As far as its literal content goes, this book is entirely historical and factual, and yet it reads like a stunning work of fiction. Keefe artfully weaves in vivid imagery and poetic language that significantly enhance the real-life experiences he describes. Historical events are not simply recounted but also re-envisioned in this book. Symbolism pops out almost everywhere, and numerous stories told seem so incredible that I was often left feeling bewildered and almost awestruck. Reading these astounding accounts reminded me of something my high school history teacher would always say when discussing the outrageous experiences of historical figures: "You can't make this stuff up!" Real-life is full of irony and, at times, occurrences that can only best be described as crazy, and in reading Say Nothing I finally became aware of this on a cognizant-level.
     All this historical storytelling allows for audiences to connect on a deeper level with the figures and struggles portrayed in this book. Truthfully, I knew little to nothing about the Troubles prior to reading Say Nothing, but now I would honestly love to do further reading and research on the topic. There was so much complexity to this struggle, with a multitude of layers spanning centuries. The experiences recounted in this book are at times very tragic, and can be difficult to read, but they are eye-opening and profoundly impactful nevertheless. The paramilitary campaigns of terror that comprised The Troubles spanned from the late 1960s all the way to the end of the 20th century, and in many ways wounds still remain very fresh in Northern Ireland to this day. When discussing topics in modern history, this event often tends to be overlooked or perhaps ignored in its entirety. After reading this book, however, one comes away with the impression that these are stories everyone ought to know. Thousands of individuals, on all sides of the conflict, lost their lives in a struggle that was somewhat never fully resolved in its entirety. While the difficult realities of the Troubles can be daunting, they should be confronted openly, with time spent intentionally reflecting on the impact of this event on our collective history.