Wow. From the very beginning of this book the author grabs you with the characters and doesn't let you go until the final page. The reader follows Sally who has understandable social difficulties through incredibly difficult discoveries and is lead through some very tough reading. The material is hard going and upsetting to read but is handled with care and honesty. There were times when I wanted to put the book down due to the content and experiences being delivered but felt as thought I owed it to the characters to finish their story. This is the first time I've read one of Liz Nugent's books and I will definitely seek out more, a fantastic author who is clearly a master of character sculpting and story telling.

As a huge Liz Nugent fan, I was eagerly awaiting her newest book, Strange Sally Diamond. From the first paragraph, I was completely engrossed!

Sally Diamond is a reclusive, 40 something who lives with her adoptive Father, near a remote village in Co. Roscommon. Sally likes straight forward facts and instructions. Life takes a turbulent turn for Sally when she misconstrues a flippant comment made by her father. Joking that she should put him out with the bins when he dies, well ... you guessed it. Sally's past has always been a mystery to her and this mystery unravels quickly when she reads her father's letters, detailing how she came to be adopted. Sally quickly becomes the focus of the media, neighbours and locals as word spreads of her dumping her father's body. Without the support of her dead mother's colleague Angela, the socially awkward and naive Sally would have no doubt ended up in jail or institutionalised. Things turn incredibly dark as Sally grows with confidence and works so hard on finding her place in society with the assistance of many new friends. Her dark past creeps into her new life and the horrific abuse is brought to light, is she still in danger?

This book is certainly not for the faint hearted. It deals with horrific abuse that is dealt with wonderfully by Liz and tension is lightened with lots of comic humor and laugh out loud moments too. You cannot help,but love Sally and I found myself cheering her on from the first chapter. The characters are beautifully well developed and I hope this is not the last of Sally Diamond as we are left with questions at the end. A fabulous book with a sinister and horrific theme. Sally at times reminded me of the character Eleanor Oliphant and will be a character that stays with me for a long time to come! I highly recommend this book, an outstanding read from start to finish.
I see this as being the book of the year in 2023 for many!

Sally Diamond was adopted at the age of seven, but she has no memories of her first family. Her adoptive parents wanted to give her a home; sad for her past life and the harrowing experiences she had been a part of. It caused a sensation when the story of her retrieval was first told. But life carried on for Sally because her new parents sheltered her. Her adoptive mother died early and from then on she lived alone with her father for the rest of his life. She was different in so many ways. She had no filters and she pretended to be deaf because she had never been socialised and did not know what to do or say. Her life was dominated by her father and his ideas and routines. He kept her away from everyone else and told her that when he died she should put him with the rubbish and incinerate him with whatever was in the rubbish dump at the same time. So when he actually died, she did what he had told her to do. She incinerated him along with the rubbish. For a second time the media were crawling around wanting to seek out the freak they thought she was at the age of forty three. They wanted to spread news, and even to sensationalize it. The story was set in Ireland and New Zealand.
Of course Sally didn’t know what she had done wrong. The police were called in and started their investigations. Her father’s friend Angela, who was a GP, came to her rescue and explained that Sally had only obeyed her father’s instructions, and that she was either on the autistic spectrum or was neurodivergent and didn’t know any better. Sally was left to live alone in her father’s house, but of course she had to buy food so she had to learn to talk to other villagers to survive. She did remarkably well considering her lack of socialisation. There were a few hitches obviously, but gradually Sally made progress and even made fragile friendships, resorting to playing her piano when she was overwhelmed or upset. Then she was alarmed to receive messages from a complete stranger, and even a teddy bear that she feels she recognises. This stranger from New Zealand seems to have known her from childhood, and once again Sally feels adrift, frightened and agitated, but she is determined to find out about her past, even if is not palatable she must find her roots. This desire was featured in the second thread, which then seamlessly merged with Sally’s adult experiences.
I was totally captivated by this wonderful story from the first page of the book to the very end. It was beautifully told and splendidly constructed. The characters were vivid, well envisaged and developed. I was charmed with Sally’s character and thought she was an amazing person despite her lack of social experiences. She was willing to accept advice and tried her best to fit in and she was always honest and caring. Her dysfunctional and narcissistic family were the only role models she ever knew in her first family childhood. The story was both dark and poignant but at times there were also light phases and comedic incidents to revel in. Sally was likable and when her childhood trauma was revealed, so her memories began to appear as well. The story revealed monstrous, evil, paedophile activity, mental health issues and more.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Sandycove through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you so much for my copy. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. It is an exceptionally good read and a 5* review from me. I’d personally class it as an unmissable page-turner.
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Sally is forty-two and has been living a sheltered life with her adoptive parents in Roscommon Ireland. Her favourite thing to do is play the piano. But she is a loner and is also socially inept, and she takes things literally. So, when her father tells her to put him out with the bins.
She does not realise that she has committed a crime when a family friend Angela, who is also a doctor tells her so and helps her become a more sociable in her everyday life. So, when the media get here of what Sally has done, they delve into her past they find out about her traumatic childhood and what her monster father did, which becomes front page news.
Thank you, Penguin for an ARC of Strange Sally Diamond. It is my first book from the author Liz Nugent, and it will not be my last. This is a fantastic read, and the story gripped from the first page. This character Sally reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant but, the story was more darker and disturbing throughout. I noticed that the ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger. So are we going to get more of Sally? I hope so. 5 stars from me.

I was drawn to this novel because I so enjoyed the author’s Skin Deep. I knew nothing about the story and if I had, I probably wouldn’t have read this book. The level of abuse, contained within its pages, is horrific. However, because the characters of both Sally and Peter were so compelling, I simply had to keep reading. The novel was deftly plotted and despite the subject matter, there were real moments of warmth and hope. I particularly loved Sally’s new and growing friendships. I would have given this five stars, but for me the ending was way too bleak, without hope and extremely disturbing.

Sally can’t understand why she is so strange but when her adopted father dies, her grim past unravels and reveals itself. Liz Nugent paces this book impeccably, it’s dark, intense, unsettling and deeply disturbing. Nugent creates deeply complex characters and as Sally begins to uncover secrets from her past her whole world turns upside down.

This books isn’t for the faint hearted, it’s a challenging read and I felt extremely thankful for those moments of comic relief that are scattered throughout. This book is so well written and Liz Nugent once again proves how she is a master at her craft. I highly recommend this book and I’m extremely thankful to have had the opportunity to read this ARC. Many thanks to @liznugent @netgalley @vikingbooksuk @penguinbooksuk

I absolutely loved this book. For me, it was a mix between Room by Emma Donoghue, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. While I felt it was a departure from Nugent's usual twisted dynamics and all-too despicable characters, it was still quite dark in places, and often heartbreaking.

Nugent has a really fine talent for evoking characters that stand proud from a page. I so enjoyed meeting Sally Diamond and was rooting for her all the way.

What a wild ride! Very dark and suspenseful, it gripped me from the start and I read a book basically in a day. And that ending, it will divide readers apart. I have a feeling this book will be everywhere in 2023😉 also that cover with a preppy woman and yellow background, it is a yes for me♥️

Compelling and creepy, Strange Sally Diamond is one of the best books I’ve read this year! I came for the Wednesday Addams-esque jacket, I stayed for the fascinating plot and engaging characters. It’s hard to say too much about this book without giving it all away, but to me it was very much Eleanor Oliphant (but SO MUCH BETTER) meets Room in a twisted and heart-breaking true crime set-up. It very much deserves to be a bestseller and I cannot recommend it enough.

I couldn’t put this down! I was hooked from the first page and it was just so fast paced I couldn’t wait to get to the end although I’m sad it’s over too! Superb writing and intriguing characters with a fascinating plot - what more could you ask for? I will read this one again and will be shouting about it to everyone who will listen; one of my favourite books this year for sure.

The really endearing and sometimes funny story of Sally Diamond who is completely unfiltered and has been sheltered from the world for over 30 years. When the darkness of a past unbeknownst to her comes back after the death of her adoptive father, a whole new can of worms explodes and a quirky story becomes one of secrets, old news headlines and the search for a known criminal. I absolutely loved it and have felt deeply in awe of Strange Sally.

I received this arc through net galley and the publishers.

Having read books by liz Nugent previously i was delighted to get my teeth into this new one.

It didn't disappoint, I loved the story of Sally and the reason why she is "strange" I raced through this as I could not put it down

4 stars

This is only the second Liz Nugent I've read and about a third of the way through I was wondering why.

Strange Sally Diamond centres on the unsettling story of Sally who, at first, merely appears to be unsocialised, perhaps somewhere on "the spectrum", easily angered and somewhat of a hermit. On the death of her father, however, her life changes dramatically.

Without giving too much away it appears that Sally's past is known to far more people than she suspected and she is the last to find out who and what she is. The revelations keep coming and getting bigger and more horrifying until Sally is forced to face them head on.

If I say any more I will ruin the book, suffice to say you will learn several salient parts of Sally's past quite quickly so you're not wading through utter confusion for long.

For me this was one of the best features of the book. Parts reminded me of John Marrs' Keep It In The Family but where Liz Nugent triumphs over Marrs is that she keeps it the right side of believable.

Her characters while all being slightly untrustworthy and irritating never quite tipped me over into eye rolling stage. The writing is good and the book itself is easy to read and (despite the subject matter) very enjoyable. I polished it off in three sittings because its one of those books that keep you wanting to turn the pages.

Fans of Liz Nugent will, no doubt, love this. She's clearly done her homework on various quite disturbing issues. If, like me, you've not read a lot of her work you'll still enjoy it if you like a thriller with not so many twists that you can't keep up. It's an easy read, not too horrifying in content but definitely disturbing and despite Sally's strangeness you should take her to your heart.

Oh my dear!!
This is Sally's story. Sally is different. She is not always lovable and does not fit in all the usual categories our society offers. Why? Because of the long way she came from her childhood. This sometime quirky person will stay with me for a long time. Sally's story is intervinend with a lot of different characters who complete the picture. A very touching book with lots of sensitive subjects touched.
High recommendation for lovers of deeply psychological stories and a clear new task for myself: read back on all of Liz's books!!
#Netgalley #Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Sandycove for this ARC

Publication Date: 2 March 2023
Rating: 5/5
So, so unsettling! I am new to Liz Nugent's work, and now I want to read it all. Strange Sally Diamond follows Sally, a socially awkward outsider, in her quest to understand who she is. It begins with her adopted father's death. She decides to put his corpse out with the bins, and once discovered, her life turns on its head. She discovers gravely unsettling facts about her true parentage and past, and I promise that you will want to read it all in one sitting. Without ruining it, think of Room meets Kiss the Girls. It is an absolutely brutal tale of one woman's quest for answers, and a deranged pedophile's desire for control. The pace is spot-on too. Someone needs to turn this into a TV series.

I'd be very surprised if this doesn't end up being one of the most popular books of 2023. Dark, sad, moving and occasionally funny... it has all the hallmarks of a bestseller.

I had my reservations about Strange Sally Diamond at first. Over the last few years, I've become increasingly aware of and exasperated by books where neurodivergence is not acknowledged-- instead there is a "quirky" character, used for comedic value, allowed to have social struggles without really confronting the spectre of mental health. The description had me worrying this could be another one.

But this is not that kind of book at all. Nugent engages fiercely with Sally's mental illness. In fact, understanding it, and the trauma it grew out of, is at the centre of this story.

Strange Sally Diamond is a much bigger scale story than it first appears. The story moves back and forth in time, between two perspectives, from Ireland to New Zealand and back again, painting a dark, horrific picture of abuse and trauma, testing our limits on how forgiving we can be of a victim when they themselves cross the line.

I really enjoyed Sally's perspective, cared for her, wanted to discover her past and found humour in her inner commentary:

I hung up shortly after we had done the goodbye thing that annoys me: 'Goodbye,' 'Bye,' 'Goodbye,' 'See you later,' 'Yes, goodbye,' 'Bye, then.' So tedious.


She is definitely a bit of an Eleanor Oliphant kind of character. She finds social situations very difficult and doesn't always react emotionally like people think she should, but being inside her head is often entertaining. Neurotypical human socialization through her eyes seems absolutely ludicrous a lot of the time.

Despite this, however, I actually think Sally is only the second most interesting character in this book. The other is less likable, sometimes intensely unlikable, but far more complex. Nugent has explored two different forms of trauma and abuse here; Sally's was the more straightforward of the two.

I would like to reiterate that this is a very dark book that contains physical and sexual abuse, on-page violence, paedophilia and all manner of gross emotional manipulation. I don't recommend it for readers especially sensitive to these subjects.

This book is an absolute must-read.
I’ve never gone through so many emotions reading one book.
I laughed, I was horrified, I was sad… I was eager to finish it.

Sally Diamond, socially deficient as she describes herself, has grown up in rural farmland with her adoptive parents. A proficient pianist but elective loner, Sally lives in a very literal world.

After committing a crime, unbeknown to herself - Sally is thrown under the spotlight and her world changes. Sally uncovers the truths in her past, and the story truly begins.

Sally starts to discover who her birth parents are, and the horrors that surround that.. and we follow in her journey of discovery, and self improvement.

A fantastically written book, which made me laugh out loud but also sickened by a storyline which can be so true, that is the harrowing reality.

This is definitely going to be a recommendation to others

Thank you Netgalley for my free Arc, in return for an honest review :-)

Liz Nugent excels at punchy openers and dark, dark stories and fortunately for us, backs her usp with a strong plotting and exceptional characters. Strange Sally Diamond is no exception.

Sally Diamond's father told her he was happy to be put out with the rubbish when his time came, but it did raise concerns with the police and residents of the small Irish town where she lived. Far worse was that long-buried stories about Sally's past become front-page news.

There are many twists and turns to Sally Diamond's story and the characters are somewhat unconventional and is guaranteed to capture your attention.

Liz Nugent smashes it out of the park again. A dark, twisted and gripping masterpiece starring the unique and unforgettable Sally Diamond. An Irish treasure we should all be reading.

I was so excited to see a new book from the great Liz Nugent and it didn't dissapoint.
I loved the character Sally and the way the story unfolded.keeps your gripped throughout and the twists made it a well written engrossing story I didn't want it to end.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the ARC