Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

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.

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent will be published on 2nd March 2023 in hardback and ebook format. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for a review copy.