Patrick Radden Keefe’s Recommended Reading List

Patrick Radden Keefe, the author of Say Nothing – Dua’s Monthly Read for June – shares a reading list of the books that inspired his epic about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. 

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

“An elegant and moving novel about a love affair, set against the backdrop of the early days of the Troubles.”

News Of A Kidnapping by Gabriel García Márquez

“This account by García Márquez was a source of inspiration to me while I was writing, for the ways in which he grapples with a complex history of violence, and for the artistry of his narrative journalism.”

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

“Probably my favourite novel of the last several years, another Irish story, this one not about the Troubles but about the way silence and denial can suppress the truth and prolong injustice in a small community.”

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Séamas O’Reilly

“One thing I wanted to capture in Say Nothing is the way in which, at the darkest times, people in Northern Ireland used humour to cope. This is a very funny memoir of a family of 11 kids growing up with a single father in Derry after losing their mother.”

Northern Spy by Flynn Berry

“A tense and atmospheric novel about spy games between the IRA and British intelligence – even after the Good Friday Agreement ostensibly brought peace to the island – featuring a pair of sisters, one of them named Marian!”