Strange Sally Diamond
“Shocking, disturbing, and utterly original.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author
This “haunting and poignant tale, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon” (Mystery and Suspense Magazine), follows an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past—from internationally bestselling author Liz Nugent.
Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “truly incredible reading experience” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
This “haunting and poignant tale, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon” (Mystery and Suspense Magazine), follows an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past—from internationally bestselling author Liz Nugent.
Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “truly incredible reading experience” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Strange Sally Diamond* is a dark, compelling thriller rich in psychological insight and emotional depth. Reviewers agree it tackles heavy...
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What’s it about?
Sally has always been different, but when her father dies and she takes his instructions literally and hauls his body out to the curb, she suddenly finds herself in the news. She soon discovers there is more to her past life than she knows.
What did it make me think about?
“The sins of the father”.
Should I read it?
Oh my…. This is a dark and disturbing book- but also so compelling that you can’t stop reading it. Is it plot driven or is it character driven? I think it is both. It reminded me of a cross between The Room by Emma Donoghue and My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. If you can take a dark book then I also highly recommend My Absolute Darling. It has been awhile since I read it but it has stuck with me for years. In Strange Sally Diamond Liz Nugent does a really nice job of not sugar coating the outcomes, but also she leaves room for growth in her characters. This is a fast paced book that jumps between two viewpoints. This technique filled in the rest of Sally’s story. I would stay away from this one if you can’t take a depressing book. Otherwise it is a compelling read with a lot to think about.
Quote-
“Weekly shopping trips were always an ordeal. I sometimes pretend to be deaf to avoid conversation, but I could hear the schoolchildren’s comments. ‘Here she comes, Strange Sally Diamond, the weirdo.’ Dad said there was no malice in it. Children are mean. Most of them. I was glad I was no longer a child. I was a forty-two-year-old woman.”
What’s it about?
Sally has always been different, but when her father dies and she takes his instructions literally and hauls his body out to the curb, she suddenly finds herself in the news. She soon discovers there is more to her past life than she knows.
What did it make me think about?
“The sins of the father”.
Should I read it?
Oh my…. This is a dark and disturbing book- but also so compelling that you can’t stop reading it. Is it plot driven or is it character driven? I think it is both. It reminded me of a cross between The Room by Emma Donoghue and My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. If you can take a dark book then I also highly recommend My Absolute Darling. It has been awhile since I read it but it has stuck with me for years. In Strange Sally Diamond Liz Nugent does a really nice job of not sugar coating the outcomes, but also she leaves room for growth in her characters. This is a fast paced book that jumps between two viewpoints. This technique filled in the rest of Sally’s story. I would stay away from this one if you can’t take a depressing book. Otherwise it is a compelling read with a lot to think about.
Quote-
“Weekly shopping trips were always an ordeal. I sometimes pretend to be deaf to avoid conversation, but I could hear the schoolchildren’s comments. ‘Here she comes, Strange Sally Diamond, the weirdo.’ Dad said there was no malice in it. Children are mean. Most of them. I was glad I was no longer a child. I was a forty-two-year-old woman.”
6.5 to 7 stars: This was an interesting tale. I'm not sure what the entire purpose of the book was, except to show how one person can destory so many lives. The parallels in behavior between Sally (Mary) and Steve (Peter) eventhough they had completely different upbringings makes me think of the nature vs nurture debate. Both clearly have emotional and social behavior issues but I belive one is inherently "good" (Sally) while the other is inherently "evil" (Peter). Even if it's not 100% his fault, once Peter realized how bad his father was he still carried on the "tradition" and kept lying to everyone about nearly everything. I wasn't sure about the endings though, I wanted more clousre to the individual stories. Did Peter become his father and kidnap another girl? Did Sally meet her friends and resume her more active lifestyle? And then the epilog with Amanda and that darn bear....
Everything I've read by Liz Nugent is 4+ star and her latest book is no exception. It is shocking, disturbing, sad and even slightly funny at times. This surely will be one of the best books of 2023.
When you first meet Sally, she is odd and strange and literal ("just put me out with the trash", said her dad and she did when he died), but as you keep reading you quickly learn why she is the way she is (pretends to be deaf so she doesn't have to talk). The story is told in 3 parts and moves back and forth in time and between different perspectives, from Ireland to New Zealand. The stories eventually merge and they paint a horrible picture of abuse and trauma. Despite what happened to Sally, I liked her. Without spilling details, there is another character probably more interesting and complicated than Sally because of their history; not to be confused with likeable though.
It is dark. Many serious themes-sexual abuse, kidnapping, mental illness, pedophilia, violence, emotional manipulation. Despite all this, it is a terrific read. It was engaging and drew me in right away. I was rooting for Sally the whole time.
When you first meet Sally, she is odd and strange and literal ("just put me out with the trash", said her dad and she did when he died), but as you keep reading you quickly learn why she is the way she is (pretends to be deaf so she doesn't have to talk). The story is told in 3 parts and moves back and forth in time and between different perspectives, from Ireland to New Zealand. The stories eventually merge and they paint a horrible picture of abuse and trauma. Despite what happened to Sally, I liked her. Without spilling details, there is another character probably more interesting and complicated than Sally because of their history; not to be confused with likeable though.
It is dark. Many serious themes-sexual abuse, kidnapping, mental illness, pedophilia, violence, emotional manipulation. Despite all this, it is a terrific read. It was engaging and drew me in right away. I was rooting for Sally the whole time.
Includes fascinating tropes such as nature versus nurture, disability rep, trauma recovery, found family, abduction/brainwashing, all written with a dual point of view.
“In the outside world, you will find more people who are kind than people who are not. Seek them out.”
“In the outside world, you will find more people who are kind than people who are not. Seek them out.”
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