Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

67 reviews

abbysingh's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Confinement, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Child abuse, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexism

Minor: Suicide, Body horror, and Car accident

lindseyrinehart's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This is probably a “reader know thyself” situation. If I had known there were comparisons of this book to “Room” I would have avoided it altogether. I DNFed “Room” and truly hated it so much. I was really enjoying the story and Sally until we switched to Peter’s point of view. I listened on audio and could not have had a stronger ick reaction to him even when he was a child. We find out a lot about the past in Peter’s POV as he slowly catches up to Sally’s current day POV. I continued enjoying Sally’s POV as she really grows and improves herself after her father’s death. I don’t really understand the direction things took at the end. I’m just not sure what the message of the book is meant to be. It wasn’t mysterious and the ending is the opposite of redemptive, whatever that is. I felt gross when I finished this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Death, and Sexual assault

foreverbooked15's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Murder

gigibaiao's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A deeply disturbing but unfortunately realistic book. Very interesting to read, but some moments were so horrific that they made me nauseous. Beware of triggers, as this book has many. I loved reading this book, but at the same time it made me sick. I felt anxious and sad about living in a reality where such sad things happen, and it made me cry. This book made me realise that thrillers on these subjects are not for me, even though they have a high literary quality. The author really took care to illustrate the places and people of certain nationalities accurately, and that impressed me positively.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Physical abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Confinement

mysteriesandhistories's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was recommended to me in Waterstones and I kind of wish it hadn’t been. Well written and plotted, undoubtedly. But relentlessly disturbing and without a chink of redeeming light. It’s upset me quite a lot actually. Which is a sign of the author’s talent, but not an experience I’d care to repeat. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

musings_of_a_middleaged_mum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Car accident, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

ppppaula's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fast paced, dark thriller. Think Room + Eleanor Oliphant. I couldn’t put it down despite the dark subject. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, Confinement, Rape, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual assault, and Misogyny

weekatsie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Drug use

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Rape, Violence, and Suicide attempt

cheryl_gager's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book took me by surprise in more than one way. The synopsis does not hint at how dark the themes of this book are and when it is revealed at the start of part 2 (just under 100 pages in) it is shocking. I think the themes are tackled in a way that is easily digestible as there is a level of detachment from a lot of the most traumatic, disturbing moments (which were off page) didn't happen to the characters whose POVs we get. I loved Sally as a character, the growth she had and the inner turmoil she faced made her POV heartbreaking and heart warming all at once. I got frustrated with the side characters around her because they expected her to be understanding to things and others but it was not always reciprocated and she was never truly given the benefit of the doubt and treated like her choices mattered, especially if she made them on her own. The other POV was more heartbreaking. This is a story of how a negative cycle of behaviour can start (I am using negative but it is not even close to how dark somethings got) and how the cycle continues but I feel like there is hope at the end of the potential for these generational cycles to be broken.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, and Car accident

This has a lot darker themes then the synopsis would suggest. You do read about a child being kidnapped and held in a looked room. You also can work out what is going on in the room where the 2 different women were held (one of which you meet after they have been there for 7 years already), and it does eventually being said / confirmed later in the book. However, you do not actually see what happens to these poor girls/women in this situation and you are reading about it from someone who never witnessed the worst of it. There is one racist character but they are confronted and challenged straight away and they face consequences which are so fitting. The book ends at the start of the 2020 pandemic so there is brief mention of it existing but no real detail about what it is or the effects. Mental health and trauma is also discussed and you do read transcripts from the first victim / person kidnapped, whilst in a psychiatric ward in the lead up before she commits suicide.

hugsy85's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Kidnapping, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Mental illness