Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

Welcome, or Welcome back! My name is Amanda and this is where I share spoiler-free book reviews and other bookish things. Not every book is my cup of tea – and that’s ok. Even if I didn’t like it, I attempt to find readers that would. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

I came across Strange Sally Diamond as I was browsing Netgalley looking for a book being published in July 2023. Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware blurbed this book, so I thought I’d give it a try.

“The internationally bestselling author of the “dark, captivating psychological thriller” (People) Lying in Wait returns with a wickedly dark, twisted, and brilliantly observed new novel about an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past.“

About The Book 📚

Title: Strange Sally Diamond

Author: Liz Nugent

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 384

Content Warnings: pedophilia, child abuse, rape, kidnapping, sexual violence, confinement, misogyny, violence, death, mental illness, domestic abuse, death of a parent, pregnancy, car accident, murder, gaslighting, racism, sexism, suicide, torture, panic attacks, COVID.

R Contains profanity, violence, drug use, or nudity.

About The Author

Liz Nugent

Born in Ireland
Also wrote Unravelling Oliver, Lying in Wait, Skin Deep, Little Cruelties
http://www.liznugent.ie/

My Review

› “Put me out with the trash,” he said regularly. “When I die, put me out with the trash.”

And that’s exactly what Sally did. When her father died on November 29, 2017, 42-year-old Sally put him out with the trash and tried to burn his corpse in the garbage bin.

Sally is strange. She was bullied in school and had a really hard time fitting in. She’s socially awkward, lacks emotion, and takes everything literally. Some said Sally had autism. However, her psychiatrist-father told her she didn’t.

A family friend, Dr. Angela, came over to check on Sally and discovered that Sally had tried to burn her father’s corpse. Angela called the police department and Sally was questioned for seven hours. The story ended up in the paper. Everyone was talking about her. Some people started calling her Mary.

Sally doesn’t know her real name. She knows she was adopted when she was seven years old. Her father was sick for a long time and had letters written for when he died. He left instructions for Sally to read one letter per week. She would finally get to learn all about her childhood, but in small amounts so it wouldn’t be overwhelming.

› An old, raggedy, one-eyed teddy bear arrives in the mail with a note:

“I thought you’d like to have him back.” S.

› When Dr. Angela sees the bear she immediately calls the police and tells Sally not to touch it. This was a bear from her past. How did they get the bear? Who sent it? What happened before she was adopted? How did the country know all about it?

› Told from dual perspectives (I don’t want to tell you who the other perspective is) and spanning fifty years, you will join Sally as she struggles to gain life experience, build relationships, and learn all about everything that happened from the 1970s to 2022.

› I rate reviews similar to the CAWPILE method
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 10
These characters are so interesting. Some you’ll love, some you’ll hate, and some who make decisions that you’ll never understand. P.S. Caroline is NOT “Sweet Caroline” I’ll tell you that!

› Atmosphere: 10
There are so many times when this story broke my heart. This is a very heavy read with incredible descriptions and world-building.

› Writing Style: 10
As always, I love the dual perspective of course. I enjoy Nugent’s writing style.

› Plot: 6
This is where the story felt very “meh” for me. The beginning was great, but then the pacing slowed down and I didn’t like the ending.

› Intrigue: 6
I wanted to keep reading, however, I found myself struggling to pick it up.

› Logic: 7
There are plot holes.

› Enjoyment: 7
Overall, Strange Sally Diamond is a good book with some humour and a LOT of darkness.

Average 8

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Strange Sally Diamond is a dark, emotional, medium-paced, tense, sad, character-driven story. I don’t want to give too much away because there is A LOT that is not mentioned in the blurb, so I’d recommend you go in blind as I did. This book is about nature versus nurture, the relationship between trauma and mental illness and the importance of found family.