A review by dig_the_plot
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

5.0

My love for Liz Nugent runs deep. We all know how much I loved Molly Gray in The Maid because she was quirky, weird and socially awkward. Enter Sally Diamond. She is just as different, strange and I love her. Although her circumstances for being weird were much more extreme and dark than Molly. Sally’s dad had always said when I die just “put me out in the bin.” So she did just that. She drug his body to the incinerator to burn like the rest of the garbage. Sound sick and cruel? You’ll have to read to understand why Sally thought that was perfectly acceptable. The school had always said that Sally was autistic but her dad Tom said she was socially deficient. As Sally got older she began telling people she was deaf so she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. Her dad left her detailed letters to read after he died which left instructions for his funeral. If only she had read the letter first. (If you don’t find that funny then you might not love this book.) The second letter detailed Sally’s life and how she came to be adopted by Tom and Jean. I’m not going to spoil that for you because it’s quite a story and you will anxiously anticipate that chapter. While you are reading about present day with Sally you’re starting at the beginning for a little boy named Peter. A sad gruesome story for both Peter and Sally. This is a very dark although sometimes funny story. I loved Sally and how she learned to make friends and have conversations with them. You also see the darker side of Sally and her mental illness brought on by abuse and neglect. But there is another character in this book whose storyline is just as shocking….Peter. His is a hard story to digest. This story involves mental and physical abuse, kidnapping and captivity, rape, pedophelia. When I type out those words I know you’re thinking why the heck is she recommending it but trust me. If you are a true fan of psychological thrillers you don’t want to miss this one. I loved the ending. I couldn’t have seen it ending any other way.