I was a huge fan of Patrick Radden-Keefe's Northern Irish history slash true crime book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. It's one of those non-fiction books I recommend to everyone I meet who shows even a passing curiosity in the history of the Irish Republican Army. I even wrote a song about it.
So I was surprised to learn that I had somehow missed the news that it was being turned into a new TV miniseries, coming to Hulu in November. (And also slightly disappointed that no one reached out to license my song for it, ahem.)
While the book itself is ostensibly about the unsolved disappearance of a Belfast woman named Jean McConville, the through-line that really carries the narrative is the tragic and complex story of Dolours Price. Price, along with her sister Marian, was a member of an elite IRA unit called "The Unknowns" that was deeply involved in black ops work—including the 1973 bombing of the Old Bailey in London, for which Price was arrested. The Unknowns were long believed to have been involved in the McConville's disappearance, and Radden-Keefe did some excellent journalistic footwork to all-but-prove who actually did the dirty work. But Dolours sort of emerges as the main character of the story, and based on the trailer, it looks like the show is taking a similar focus.
(Curiously, the trailer also looks to be downplaying the role of Gerry Adams, which is disappointing but understandable, given that he's still alive.)
All 9 episodes of Say Nothing drop on Hulu on November 14.
Previously:
• Trailer for dark science fiction comedy Mickey 17