Strange Sally Diamond

Trigger Warnings: S/A, Kidnapping/ imprisonment, Physical Abuse, Stockholm syndrome “romance”

What an unusual story about an unusual person but made for a great read. Sad sad backgrounds for a lot of these characters and not the most optimistic ending either (which I personally dislike especially for themes that are explored in this book) I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Audio notes: Great narration and performance by these actors.

this is what y'all hyped up so much?? 😭😭😭

this book is not a thriller. at best, it might be a mystery, but even then, there’s barely any suspense. it felt more like a slow-paced family drama with literary fiction elements. i had to restart this book twice because the first half was so boring that i kept tuning out.

there’s no denying the dark territory this book explores, but the way it was handled felt dispassionate and predictable. for a story dealing with such heavy themes, i expected something harrowing and emotionally gripping, but it didn’t move me at all. the narrative voice lacked impact, and the plot twists were too obvious to be engaging.

sally and the rest of the cast felt flat. sally, who is written as an adult survivor of childhood trauma, came across more like a caricature of someone with asd. her thoughts and actions felt cliched, and i couldn’t connect with her on any level. while this book clearly resonates with many readers, it ultimately fell short for me.

4/5 - This book was so close to being a 5, but the ending was a no for me. The story was sick and twisted and it had me on the edge of my seat and had me questioning ‘WTF was I reading?'. I enjoyed myself thoroughly (even at times it was hard to read), but that ending made me mad! What a way to fumble a 5 star rating!

“In the outside world, you will find more people who are kind than people who are not. Seek them out.”

Sally Diamond suffered an unimaginably horrific trauma when she was a child, she's still suffering, this her story.

It is impossible not to fall in love with Sally. Hats off to Liz Nugent such a beautifully written character. I guess you would put this in the same group as say, The Room and Girl A. Can't say anything else without giving it away. Wasn't totally bonkers about the ending, probably because of the nature of the story, you want a different ending for a such an endearing person.

Giving this a generous 5, it's probably more of a 4 BUT I always go high if something makes me tear up, and this did. Strangely enough though, it was at the beginning of the book, not the end.

A very solid four stars, reminding me a lot of VaL McDermids mix of disturbing uncomfortable reading with deeper look into characters. Might not be for everyone but Liz Nugent is accomplished and she is now on my tbr list

4,5 stars

Wow what a story. Quite hard to read in places - even though it was fiction!

I am on the fence with the last 5% but overall this book was excellent. Just be prepared for the difficult subject matter. Wish there were more chapters on Sally.

Wow. Devastating, heartbreaking and sometimes weirdly humorous. This was a great read. I have a feeling the story and characters will stick with me for some time.

What a brilliant psychological story this is—an emotional tale filled with unique characters and a lively Irish community. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a book that conjures up a range of emotions from start to finish. You become actively involved in a two-part story that weaves its way together towards a satisfying conclusion.

I'll give the same warning a friend on Goodreads gave me. It's best not to know anything going into the book, so I'll just be very vague with the story elements. In fact, this might be quite a boring review because I'll probably not say much at all.

The book has a quite literal, fiery introduction. Sally, a homeschooled individual with very little contact with the outside world, burns her adopted father's remains in a bin behind their home after he passes on. As local investigators look into the matter, Sally must cope with the loss in her own unique fashion. Without going into details, Sally does not quite understand why what she did raised eyebrows. She is very matter-of-fact when it comes to her emotions, and to me, Sally is not strange at all; in fact, Sally is a diamond in the rough.

We are then introduced to Peter, a young boy who experiences some grim and disturbing family matters. These sequences take place in the past, and as the book goes on, we flip back and forth between this story and Sally's in the present. Sparks fly as the two stories converge.

This is not your typical true-crime format. During most of the character moments and twists, the book remains consistently interesting, not just because of the mystery elements but also because of the character evolutions. The book will toy with your emotions, make you sit up straight in your reading chair, raise the hairs on the back of your neck, and leave you emotionally distraught. With that said, I would still recommend it. It gave me insight into certain traits that I can definitely relate to, and it also has a satisfying conclusion.

I don't know what I expected out of this, but it wasn't what I got. The blurb gives just enough to intrigue you without really explaining what this is about.

Sally's journey throughout this book is in turns devastating, confusing, hopeful, infuriating... She shows growth in times of adversity and honesty with herself and her flaws.

Beautiful writing about a girl with a haunted past and the mess that takes place when a secret history is unraveled, I highly recommend reading Sally's story.

This book was recommended by a dear friend and while I somewhat had an understanding of the premise, I really did not expect it to go as dark, disturbing, and heavy as it did.

There's a lot to this book, a lot of emotions involved, perspectives explored, and a certain strangeness in the way I could accept and understand the characters decisions and choices yet wishing things to be different. It was an interesting read, I liked the writing, the themes explored, the exploration of certain consequences or effects of past horrors on our current lives, but I did have a hard time getting through the book because of of its majorly dark content. If you're someone who may get triggered definitely check the trigger warnings.

Liz Nugent is right up there with John Connolly and Mark Billingham when it comes to crafting a dark yet engaging tale.
Strange Sally Diamond is possibly the most disturbing book I've read this year. It's themes include kidnapping, paedophilia, rape, brainwashing.
Sally Diamond may be strange, and it's not surprising given her troubled past, but she is a survivor.
It's not too difficult to imagine something like this happening in the Ireland of the 80's, given all the scandals that have been uncovered in the last few decades.
This is definitely not a book for the faint hearted.

A sad and horrifying story of a woman trapped by her past, unable to move on. Perfectly weighted and cleverly plotted.