Strange Sally Diamond

Description

The past can never be fully forgotten in this exhilarating new novel from the author of Our Little Cruelties Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

Before becoming a full-time writer, Liz Nugent worked in film, theatre and television. Her four novels - Unravelling Oliver , Lying in Wait , Skin Deep and Our Little Cruelties have each been Number One bestsellers and she has won four Irish Book Awards, as well as the James Joyce Medal for Literature. She lives in Dublin.

An extraordinary book. Compulsive reading, with one of the most complex, intriguing and moving characters I've ever encountered in fiction -- Clare Mackintosh My God what a brilliant book! -- Shari Lapena It creeped me out (in a good way). Think Room and The Collector but add a dazzling/unique main character and encroaching dread. Terrific -- Ian Rankin So, so good! Sally gets under your skin and worms her way into your heart. I didn't want it to end -- Jane Fallon Such a terrific read . . . [Sally is] an amazing character -- Anthony Horowitz Be prepared for a roller coaster ride - Sally Diamond is going to get under your skin -- Vanda Symon Genius . . . held me from beginning to end in one weekend -- Joe Duffy I absolutely devoured this book. Sally Diamond is the most fantastic character. Liz Nugent has created a dark, twisted, gripping, intriguing, heart-stopping tale full of characters who, despite the horrors they inflict, are victims in their own right -- Sinead Moriarty Achingly beautiful with a cast of characters that'll remain with you long after the final page is turned. Already one of the must-read books of 2023 -- John Marrs Vivid, pacy, taut but so very moving . . . This novel feels *different* . . . it defies categorisation -- Marian Keyes Dark and mesmerising . . . one of the most compelling character-led novels I've ever read. [It] blew me away -- Fiona Cummins Totally and utterly gripped by Liz Nugent's latest. If this isn't made into a major Netflix series, I'll eat my own knicker elastic. An absolute wow of a read -- Claudia Carroll I loved every damn second of it -- Lisa Jewell Liz Nugent has outdone herself. Twisted and twisty, dark and gripping, no one is going to forget Sally Diamond in a hurry! -- Graham Norton Liz Nugent dares to go where many won't. What a compelling storyteller she is. Always challenging. I laughed out loud only to recoil from my laughter as the story unfolded. For this is wickedly dark territory. And yet amidst the darkness, she allows a light to glimmer - that of a diamond' -- Sarah Winman It's compassionate and challenging, letting us imagine the lives that are forgotten when the news cycle moves on . . . a very special book -- Val McDermid I did not want this book to end! What a brilliant character and a wonderfully woven story. So very dark and clever and it completely broke my heart -- Susi Holliday I'm struggling to find words to describe how wonderful this book is. All at once it's dark, funny, compelling, shocking and heart-breaking with perfect characters and unrelenting tension. The best book I've read in years. Just incredible -- Neil Lancaster Twisted, shocking, and very, very, dark, Liz Nugent has created a character for the ages in Strange Sally Diamond -- Louise O'Neill Strange Sally Diamond peels your heart with a paring knife in one continuous paper-thin coil. Dark, disturbing, utterly compelling -- Tammy Cohen A brilliant, brilliant book. I don't have the skill to give this novel the kind of praise it deserves. It's devastating. It's beautiful. It's mesmerising. Clever. Surprising. Completely immersive. In total awe -- Imran Mahmood I LOVED IT! Strange Sally strides onto the page, fully formed and funny as hell (this is Liz, we're talking dark funny). I was hooked from the first paragraph and then Liz toyed with me, I held my breath, gasped, laughed and cried. This is twisty, original and pitch-black. I'll go anywhere with Liz but only in daylight -- Nikki May A masterpiece -- Fiona Cummins One of the most original, and spine-tingling books I've read in ages, Draws you in to the close, claustrophobic world of rural Ireland and the life of an emotionally withdrawn woman whose dark, hidden past is coming back to haunt her. Crackling with tension, this book with have you turning the pages late into the night. An absolute triumph. -- Abir Mukherjee Another bloody scorcher from Liz Nugent that kept me up to the wee hours to finish. Liz is one of the most intelligent, original, twisty crime writers working in the genre today -- Adrian McKinty Just like Sally herself, this book is absolutely unique. Dark, gripping, unsettling - it pulls off that rarest of feats, combining characters you truly care for with gasp-inducing twists and turns. Loved it! -- Ellery Lloyd