Summary
In December 1972, Jean McConville, a 38-year-old widowed mother of ten, was abducted from her Belfast home by masked intruders. The family's neighbors recognized some of the masked individuals. Her children never saw her again. The book delves into the circumstances of her disappearance amid the violent backdrop of Northern Ireland's Troubles.
Jean McConville was a working-class Protestant who married a Catholic and found herself caught between the warring factions of Belfast. She lived with her children in Divis Flats, a public housing project in West Belfast and IRA stronghold. After her husband's death, she was ostracized after being seen comforting a wounded British soldier and her apartment was tagged with "BRIT LOVER" graffiti. The book portrays Jean's life as one of struggle and resilience in the face of a divided city.
Years later, as part of the peace process, the search for the "disappeared" began. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, was established in 1999 to recover the bodies of those abducted and murdered during the Troubles. Jean McConville was one of the disappeared, but the search for her body was initially unsuccessful.
The book also features the story of Dolours Price, an IRA operative who, along with her sister Marian, was involved in a bombing mission in London. The Price sisters' trial and their subsequent hunger strike garnered international attention, challenging British authority.
Dolours Price's story takes a dark turn as she reveals her role in the disappearance of Jean McConville. She implicates Gerry Adams, a prominent IRA leader and Sinn Fein politician, saying he ordered McConville's abduction. Price recounts driving McConville across the border and participating in her execution. The book explores the psychological toll of violence and moral injury on Price and other participants in the conflict.
Brendan Hughes, another IRA operative and close friend of Adams, also implicates Adams in McConville's death. Hughes recounts details of the abduction, the discovery of a radio transmitter in McConville's flat and her confession to being an informer for the British Army. The book questions whether McConville was an informant and explores the ways in which IRA justified her murder.
As the peace process unfolds, questions about accountability arise. The Boston College oral history project, aimed at documenting the Troubles, becomes embroiled in legal battles as the PSNI seeks access to the recorded interviews. The book details the efforts by Jean McConville's children to uncover the truth and to see justice served.
The book concludes with reflections on the complexities of memory, truth, and reconciliation in a society still grappling with the legacy of violence. It highlights the moral dilemmas faced by former combatants and the challenges of achieving closure in a land where history continues to haunt.