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bookwormellie 's review for:
Strange Sally Diamond
by Liz Nugent
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was kindly given an ARC of this amazing book by Penguin Viking and I waited for a little while to read it as I just knew from the blurb that I would devour it in one sitting.
I devoured it in three hours.
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent follows Sally, who we meet on the death of her father. Sally takes things rather literally so, when her dad says to put him out with the rubbish when he dies…that’s what she does. This triggers off a series of events that changes Sally’s life forever, and reveals a series of long kept secrets.
This is my first book by Nugent and, at first, you do think you’re reading a book similar to that of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Sally is a gorgeously complex character and I became very protective of her, even though she doesn’t always do the right thing. It becomes clear as the novel goes on that Sally’s past has very much informed her behaviour in the present.
Nugent then twists the story by adding a second perspective. I’m not going to go into spoilers, but it gets dark. There are trigger warnings aplenty: rape, kidnapping, forced imprisonment, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, suicide. However, despite the heaviness of the topics, Nugent’s writing has a light touch, and nothing ever feels like trauma for trauma’s sake.
This is a wonderfully dark novel that, at its heart, asks the question of nature vs nurture. Can we really forge a life outside of our biology? Our upbringing? Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of our parents? And what is “normal” anyway?
I don’t give star reviews, but if I did, this would get the full 5. One of my favourite reads of the year so far. Thank you so much to Penguin Viking for sending me this!
I devoured it in three hours.
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent follows Sally, who we meet on the death of her father. Sally takes things rather literally so, when her dad says to put him out with the rubbish when he dies…that’s what she does. This triggers off a series of events that changes Sally’s life forever, and reveals a series of long kept secrets.
This is my first book by Nugent and, at first, you do think you’re reading a book similar to that of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Sally is a gorgeously complex character and I became very protective of her, even though she doesn’t always do the right thing. It becomes clear as the novel goes on that Sally’s past has very much informed her behaviour in the present.
Nugent then twists the story by adding a second perspective. I’m not going to go into spoilers, but it gets dark. There are trigger warnings aplenty: rape, kidnapping, forced imprisonment, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, suicide. However, despite the heaviness of the topics, Nugent’s writing has a light touch, and nothing ever feels like trauma for trauma’s sake.
This is a wonderfully dark novel that, at its heart, asks the question of nature vs nurture. Can we really forge a life outside of our biology? Our upbringing? Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of our parents? And what is “normal” anyway?
I don’t give star reviews, but if I did, this would get the full 5. One of my favourite reads of the year so far. Thank you so much to Penguin Viking for sending me this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual harassment