Sally Diamond has been raised in a rural farmhouse with overprotective parents and little socialisation. With no real understanding of social cues, and an inability to read people or take whatever is said as anything other than completely literal, Sally does what her terminally ill father jokes about when he passes away: she puts him out with the bins,

To Sally, she is simply carrying out her late father's wishes; to the shocked rural community where she lives, Sally - strange, peculiar Sally - has committed a monstrous crime.

Yet as Sally begins to deal with the fallout from her actions, she finally begins to connect with others. But then strange notes start to arrive, and a ragged teddybear she instinctively knows is hers. And Sally's world, which is already shifting, will tip on its axis as she discovers the truth about who she really is...

Strange Sally Diamond is one of my favourite books this year - disturbing, compelling, redemptive, sad, and ebullient all at once. The writing is skilful, with characters so realistically drawn that you feel like you know them, and a plot that is beautifully paced and manged. I loved the alternating narrators as the book progressed, and was fascinated by the gradual revelations.

Masterful, haunting, and complex - I will be thinking about Sally for a long, long time. A must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for granting me a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't get enough of this book. It begins with Sally trying to burn her deceased father in their incinerator as he had said that when he died to put him out with the bins. She is a loner, emotionally detached and can't understand the jokes and thoughts of others as everything is black and white to her. She knows that she is adopted but is unaware of anything to do with her background. Liz has done a fantastic job of delving into Sally's past and seeing how understanding this can help her move forward with her life. My favourite Liz Nugent book yet!
Thanks to netgalley for an advanced copy in order for my honest review.

You know you're never going to get rainbows and unicorns with Liz Nugent (which is why I love her), and this bleak tale is no exception. The story of socially awkward Sally Diamond and the gradual revealing of her origins is harrowing at times, and covers some very dark subjects. Well written and compelling, I loved it. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, I was so pleased to receive the ARC for this, 5 stars.

Liz Nugent is an auto-buy author for me. She writes excellent dark psychological thrillers that pique your interest from the off and keep you turning the pages. Strange Sally Diamond is no exception; I read it in under two days. It isn’t published until March 2023, but go pre-order it today!

We are introduced to Sally Diamond, age 42, living in a small village near Roscommon on the day her adoptive father dies; he regularly told her to “put me out with the bins, when I die”, so when the time came, she followed his instructions, and that’s when her entire life tipped upside down.

Viewed by fellow villagers as “strange”, Sally admits to being “socially deficient”; and finds the world around her a very scary place to be.

Eccentric doesn’t even begin to cover Sally! Sally is very naive and matter-of-fact and has absolutely no filter when she does decide to talk to people - which, for the reader at least, results in some darkly comic but rather cringe-worthy or heartbreaking incidents.

But why is Sally like she is? She discovers soon after her father’s death that the reason she has no childhood memories up to the age of seven is that she suffered horrific trauma. Now she is faced with uncovering her past whilst trying to navigate a new life without her beloved father to cocoon her from any stressors.

As we learn about Sally’s background and how her mam was abducted by Conor Geary, an extremely violent misogynist, we get introduced to Peter. Peter is Sally’s half-brother, and through him, we get to see the ‘other side of the story’ too.

Reading Strange Sally Diamond gave me thoughts of Room by Emma Donoghue, the story of “Genie”, whose case we studied in Psychology class many years ago - a girl who’d suffered severe abuse, neglect, and social isolation.

This book is everything you’d expect from Liz Nugent and more. Strong characters, plenty of plot twists, and dark and disturbing events aplenty.

Compelling, dark, and disturbing this book will have you hooked from the very first sentence. Sally is seen as strange in her small rural town. After her father’s passing, her life and past is brought out into the limelight.

The plot…well I was not expecting how dark it would be. The revelations about Sally’s past are haunting and horrific, and I would caution those to look at content warnings before proceeding.

I enjoyed Sally’s character, her voice is unique and distinct throughout the book. She is completely unfiltered and speaks her mind without realising the effect it would have on others. Her openness and brutal honesty is quite refreshing. Her isolated and lonely life is at times upsetting to read about, but watching her explore aspects of life and try to open herself to the outside world is heart-warming.

I enjoyed the majority of the book, it was the ending that let it down. It was abrupt and all progress with our characters ended, almost as if we were going back to the very beginning again.

This is a novel about families. But these families are the polar opposites of ‘cereal box families’ where Mom bakes good wholesome apple pies. These families are psychotic, cruel and dysfunctional in the extreme. They are dominated by Conor Geary, an extreme misogynist, despising and loathing women. This is a deeply uncomfortable story of his actions in raping and incarcerating his family members. In case anyone thinks that all this is too far-fetched, then look up the real-life case of Josef Fritzl.
There’s an emerging sub-genre of fiction and drama (Eleanor Oliphant, Room by Emma Donoghue, The Somewhere Boy) about lonely isolated (either voluntary or compelled) people. When today we are expected to have hundreds of ‘friends’ who ‘like’ us on social media, are these stories a challenge to consider how really connected we are? Do novels such as these endeavour to balance this culture by reminding us that are other realities where people exist in extreme isolation?
In this novel, there are really two protagonists, the eponymous Sally, incarcerated and deprived of social stimuli to the point where she develops quasi-autistic traits such as discomfort at being touched, limitations to reading other intentions and following instructions literally. A second protagonist appears, much later, her brother. They do, over a long period, emerge from their traumatic upbringing. and begin to re-build in a way their lives. But it doesn’t end well. Despite a big inheritance, their relationships collapse, and truths emerge thanks to the new trope of a true crime investigative podcaster.
I wasn’t convinced by the tone of Sally’s voice. I had the feeling that the author was aiming for an impaired voice but not capturing in print the uniqueness of that voice. Sally presents as someone who understands her own psychological processes and limitations. This could be ascribed to the interventions of Tina, the psychotherapist, but I was unconvinced that someone who had experienced such profound trauma could make such a recovery. The damage would have been long-lasting and irredeemable.
But the last part of the book is a disappointment. We learn that Peter’s behaviour became similar to Sally’s (although far crueller and more transgressive). As a consequence, we learn little more than what we already know. The last part become sadly predictable through a recapitulation of Conor Geary’s psychotic actions. Nothing new happens to either inform us of these two protagonists or to provide an increase in tension and pace to build to a denouement.
The first half of the book is engaging in its dreadfulness, but the second half becomes repetitive and dull. By this time, we have become numb to these awful events.
However, a real benefit of reading this nightmare of a novel is that you become deeply thankful to see any parent and child who are loving and attached to each other.
Thanks go to NetGalley who made available a pre-release copy so that I might post an honest and unbiased review.

Another amazing read from Liz Nugent. Liz always manages to weave sensitive issues into the story seamlessly, leaving you thinking about things in a different way after you've left the book. I highly recommend this book but don't plan to do anything else while you're reading it!

As soon as I read the first brilliant line I knew I would love this book. Sally Diamond takes everything literally and at first you may think you are entering into an Eleanor Oliphant world, but this is much, much darker. Sally's backstory is deeply troubling, and how she deals with the revelations of her past and moves on with her life is brilliantly portrayed. And just as I was wondering where it' was all going to go a second voice comes in through a parallel narrative. It's troubling but it's got some humour, a great cast of supporting characters and a satisfying plot. I couldn't put it down - even though at times I did find some of the dialogue a tiny bit clunky and some of the story resolutions and reasonings slightly rushed and I had questions. But this is a book and character I won't forget.

Strange Sally Diamond
Liz Nugent

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks so much to Netgalley and author Liz Nugent for an ARC of Liz's latest book 'Strange Sally Diamond' due out next March 2023.

I love Liz Nugent and have read all her 5 previous books. She is one of my must read authors and this latest one, her 6th novel, did not disappoint.

Its been 3 long years since Liz's last book 'Our Little Cruelties' came out but after reading this latest one it was so worth the wait.

It is written in Liz's typical unique style but shock of all shocks - Sally is actually a likable protagonist. Usually Ms. Nugents main characters are despicable and terribly unlikable but I actually liked Sally in this latest one. She feels so real and authentic. Her unfiltered honesty is brilliant and she just says things how it is. She is a wonderful character who will make you feel every emotion possible - from bonechilling horror, to heartwrenching emotion to laughing out loud.

The writing just flows seamlessly.

I look forward to Liz's next one already and wish her every success with this one.

Definately recommend.

5 easy stars from me!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! It was riveting and disturbing in equal measures. I was fascinated by Sally right from the very beginning and the story continued to get progressively darker and twistier. Liz Nugent creates characters you might not want to know but certainly feel like you do. I really enjoy the fact that so many of them are truly unlikeable, she doesn’t try to make them sympathetic or relateable, she’s content to just make them realistic. All of her books are so different but equally intriguing and I will be recommending this one far and wide.

Rarely is there a book in which there are no redundancies. This is one of those rarities.
Rarely is there a book that grabs hold of your guts and won’t let go until the very last page. This is one of those rarities.
I loved Emma Donaghue’s “Room”. This is “Room” with bells and whistles on.
43-year-old Sally Diamond, “socially deficient” as she calls herself, is finding out about her early life after the death of her adopted father with whom she’d lived in total isolation in a remote part of Ireland.
Her birth mother was kidnapped at age 11 and kept prisoner for 14 years, she had two children in captivity. Any more of the plot would spoil the read.
There’s overtones of the Fritzl case in Austria, but this is such a unique story that I wanted to start reading again once I’d come to the end.
More than five stars!

Ooh I loved this. Liz Nugent did SUCH a brilliant job of bringing these characters to life and making me care about Sally and the community she lives in. Brilliant story-telling as always with this author. I don't want to include any spoilers here but suffice to say the ending broke me - goddamn you, Liz Nugent!
I've loved all her books and this one is definitely up there with the best.

I'm so delighted to say I just loved this book. As I do with all of Liz' but you wonder sometimes if authors will run out of steam,ideas or just not be on par with their previous work. Nope,not the case here.
Sally Diamond has just lost her father,and as he suggested she put him out with the rubbish. Yes,she actually got rid of her fathers remains herself. (Dont worry it all got sorted).Sally is very literal and wonders why the rest of the world isn't. Tom was her adoptive father,after Sally had a traumatic childhood he and his wife Jean(also deceased)took Sally in. You learn all about how and why through flashback chapters to then and now..which is so well done and explained brilliantly.
Sally now learns that she has possible family when a letter arrives from a man,who is very matter of fact,just like her,and sending proof they're related. Rightly so Sally has some trust issues,but when she does open up to you it's golden.
Some parts of this book are harrowing, especially her past. I found myself flinching at some lines because you're so immersed in the book..you're an onlooker in the corner of that room..and wonder how people can be so cruel. I feel like there's so much good about this book I want to spill it all out but there'd be no point in you reading it so! It's touching,sad,tough,but also current because you still read about these kind of things still happening in the world today. You cant help but love Sally with all her quirks and I often forgot she was in her 40s..such is the effect the past has had on her. This beauty is out in March 2023....put it on your list!

This was dark.
Bloody hell this was disturbing. Excellently written, Liz Nugent is a genius with words and I am a huge fan of her books.
It is hard to review this. It is hard to say I enjoyed the book, I enjoyed it as a story but it was so hard to read. Some scenes in particular will always stay with me, the way the boy reacted to his mother when he was introduced to her. The way the poor boy was treated and the way he turned out. It was like a horror story. It was a wonderful book but expect a few nightmares!

Really enjoyed this book. The author was empathetic to her characters and it was an unusual tale. Would definitely recommend as a good read!

*4.5 stars*

Forty something Sally Diamond put her deceased father out with the rubbish. Nothing wrong with that is there? Well that’s what Sally believes anyway, because her father had always said it - “Just put me out with the bin” The fact that he said it with a laugh didn’t make any difference to Sally, because Sally isn’t like other people, she’s a bit strange. Socially deficient is how her father has always described her.

Sally hasn’t had anything to do with the outside world, she finds it impossible to have a conversation with strangers, and hates people touching her. After her mother died, it was just her and her psychiatrist father in an isolated house in Ireland, and he was quite happy for her to stay home. However, after it’s discovered what she did with him after his death, the world’s media turn up at her door together with the local guards (police) and for a time her name is on everyone’s lips. Then messages start to turn up from a stranger, who seems to know a lot more about her than she does herself, because Sally has no memories of her life before 7 years of age, when her mother and father adopted her, but she’s about to find out, and her life will be completely turned upside down.

There are very some strong characters here, with real depth to them, some of whom are quite horrific, so obviously the storyline is quite dark, shocking even, although it has to be said the writing is sharp and clever. Even though it’s dark, there is plenty of humour thanks to Sally’s inability to hold back her thoughts and feelings. It’s completely gripping for sure, and Sally Diamond will be hard to leave behind, such is the strength of her character.

No-one quite writes flawed characters like Liz Nugent does and Strange Sally Diamond is full of them. This book grabbed me from the very first sentence and when a book does that, you just know it's going to be a good'un. A masterpiece in characterisation and another 5 ***** read as brilliant and gripping as all of her previous books. I urge you to read it.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

From the first page, Strange Sally Diamond commands your attention. The story reveals a woman who has had a traumatic childhood that has left her with behaviours that others find disturbing. From her approach to dealing with her father’s death to being confronted by her past, Nugent unravels the story bit by bit. Her attention to detail gives us a glimpse of Sally’s interpretation of the world and with it, our admiration and concern for Sally grows. The sense of dread as we learn more and more about Sally’s childhood means that you can’t stop turning the pages. Liz Nugent has an innate ability to pick an unusual circumstance and examine it from a unique perspective. The characters are well developed and the story is intriguing. Funny, poignant, bleak and dark. Brilliantly written and captures Sally’s character perfectly with the narrative.

Sally Diamond is 42 years old. For over 20 years it's just been her and her adoptive father living an isolated existence in Ireland. When her father dies at home Sally follows his instructions and puts his body out with the bins. When news of her actions begins to spread the press begin to show an interest in "Strange" Sally Diamond and we discover her traumatic background that has been hidden from the public for almost 40 years.

WOW! This book deserves to be huge. The central character, Sally Diamond, while intriguing is also one you will empathise with and love as you learn her backstory. Sally is strange, she takes everything literally, hence following her fathers throw away comment of putting his body "out with the bins". Sally is naive and childlike, she hates interacting with people and even pretends to be deaf so she doesn't have to talk to anyone. Sally avoids making eye contact with people and loses her temper easily leading to her tearing her own hair out. These are all traits that we recognise. Her father, a psychiatrist, has always told her she's socially deficient, we would probably describe her as being on the autistic spectrum.

As Sally comes to terms with being on her own she sticks to the routines she has always had. She's not worried about being alone as she doesn't like interacting with people. Thankfully some of the people in the village are truly compassionate and rally round to support her. This support is essential as news from the past looms and we discover that there is much more to Sally's background. We learn that Sally isn't autistic, her behaviour and mannerisms stem from a traumatic childhood. A childhood her adoptive parents have hidden from her, along with hiding her from the world.

The story of Sally's early life is truly horrific. Thankfully write Liz Nugent doesn't glorify the horror, it is told with sympathy and care. As the world and the past invade we see how brave Sally is in coming to terms with her past and forging a future.

Liz Nugent is my go-to psychological thriller writer and always delivers the most intriguing characters. 'Strange Sally Diamond' is no exception. This new book, to be published in 2023, possesses all the flair of Nugent's other novels. It has a twisted narrative (along the lines of Emma O'Donoghue's 'Room') but manages to keep the darkness at bay with the most delicately-drawn character Sally Diamond, whose reflections on her misfortunes vary from the heartbreaking to the downright whimsical. She gets my sympathy and I am sure this #goodbook will be another bestseller. Thank you Liz Nugent for bringing Sally Diamond to life and following her story so that we get closure 🙏🏼 and @netgalley and Penguin for this advance copy.