Compellingly written and even-handed in its judgments, this is by far the clearest account of what has happened through the years in the Northern Ireland conflict, and why. After a chapter of background on the period from 1921 to 1963, it covers the ensuing period-the descent into violence, the hunger strikes, the Anglo-Irish accord, the bombers in England-to the present shaky peace process. Behind the deluge of information and opinion about the conflict, there is a straightforward and gripping story. Mr. McKittrick and Mr. McVea tell that story clearly, concisely, and, above all, fairly, avoiding intricate detail in favor of narrative pace and accessible prose. They describe and explain a lethal but fascinating time in Northern Ireland's history, which brought not only death, injury, and destruction but enormous political and social change. They close on an optimistic note, convinced that while peace-if it comes-will always be imperfect, a corner has now been decisively turned. The book includes a detailed chronology, statistical tables, and a glossary of terms.

本書は北アイルランド紛争の悲劇を、冷徹な筆致と深い洞察で描き抜いた歴史叙述の傑作です。暴力の連鎖の中で揺れ動く人々の尊厳と、社会が遂げた劇的な変容を、圧倒的な公平性をもって浮き彫りにしています。著者が追求した叙事詩的な物語性は、混沌とした時代に秩序ある光を当て、読者を歴史の深淵へと誘う強烈な文学的引力を放っています。 映像版は臨場感で感情を揺さぶりますが、テキストは背景にある複雑な因果を精密に解き明かし、思索の時間を与えます。活字による緻密な解析と映像の視覚的衝撃が響き合うことで、不完全ながらも希望へ向かう平和の重みを、より多角的かつ痛烈に理解できるはずです。