‘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 police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember.
As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and big decisions, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world? And why does her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally's trust issues are about to be severely challenged.’ (Synopsis courtesy of Waterstones.)
Gosh. This book just blew me away. I am not going to be able to write enough good things about this novel to feel I’ve done it justice. I just know this one of those rare books that will stay with me forever.
Sally Diamond is a reclusive, socially awkward woman in her forties who still lives at home. Sally takes things literally, so when she puts her father’s body out with the rubbish - because he mentioned it once - she doesn’t see anything wrong with that. The media coverage that comes with the incident sets a path in motion that will see Sally have contact with a past she doesn’t remember, a past that she wouldn’t want to remember. Will learning more about her past help or hinder Sally as she tentatively tries to make her way in the world?
The narrative was compelling. I mistakenly thought we’d stay solely with Sally throughout (it doesn’t sit with the ‘body out with the rubbish’ incident for long) but through her father’s letters and a mysterious person’s account of their own past brings Sally’s childhood to the forefront – this is compelling, dark and heart-wrenching, not just for Sally but for other characters who we get to know too. The present day story, however, also managed to be hopeful; funny at times, but also sad.
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the ‘back story’ chapters and I was willing things to go a certain way - I felt my heart break as certain choices were made. The book handles trauma well, there was a realism to it; it can’t just be fixed. The endings all around seemed fair to the characters and what they’d been through (and still go through), even if they weren’t what I had unrealistically hoped for.
I’m so glad I read this book and if you don’t mind a bit of a darker read you may well enjoy it too. I think this is the best book I’ve read this year!
Purchase Strange Sally Diamond here.
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