Strange Sally Diamond is a novel of two halves - one being the life story of Sally Diamond (who anyone who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant will love) and the other being the story of another much more sinister character, a man called Peter. Not much can be said about Peter without destroying the intrigue of the novel, but he brings an increasingly sinister element to the book which takes it way out of the realm of “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” and into something much more disturbing.
This is author Liz Nugent’s fifth novel, and despite its dark undertones it remains an enjoyable read, not least due to the delightful character that is Sally Diamond.
Sally has grown up with her adoptive parents who are a psychiatrist and a nurse. Her psychiatrist father diagnoses her as “socially deficient” and allows her to live a very isolated yet happy life, first with both parents and then, after her mother dies, with him. She is 42 years old when he dies and she has to start interacting with the real world. They have been living on the outskirts of a small Irish town and the world she encounters is, at first, benign and understanding of “strange” eccentric Sally. However things inevitably become more complicated and Liz Nugent takes her readers on a remarkable journey that is so unpredictable it is hard to write about without spoiling the story for would-be readers.
I can say though, that it includes wonderful Irish black humour, many delightful characters and some truly hideous ones, a chilling story of the longterm captivity of a girl from the age of 11, a significant escape to New Zealand, where a significant chunk of the novel is based, and much more besides.
The stories of Sally and Peter are very cleverly intertwined and the the reader gradually realises just how they will come to overlap as the novel progresses in its original and revetting style.
Strange Sally Diamond is a beautifully written captivating novel which is sure to become a bestseller.
Review by Caroline
