The unwanted attention she garners from the episode with her father results in the unraveling of deep and dark secrets from Sally’s early childhood - a past of which Sally has no memories and has been kept from her by the parents who raised her and is only now being revealed to her through a series of letters left to her by her deceased father - triggering a series of events that has Sally grappling with her truth, questioning everything she has been brought up to believe about herself and trying to emerge from the shadows of her painful past. It won’t be easy because, with the secrets, there are people from her past complicating things further and possibly threatening her physical and mental well-being. 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. being frustrated with you and giving out to any character that dared upset you! Reading 'Strange Sally Diamond' has been tumultuous from an emotional perspective and I mean that in a positive manner. Liz Nugent creates the most brilliantly complex, intricate characters and as always, I found myself completely absorbed in the storyline and had to continue reading until I finished the book. I had to know what happened to Sally, Mark, Peter.

Liz Nugent’s fifth novel Strange Sally Diamond showcases a writer who has really hit her stride. This nuanced, perceptive, thrilling and unpredictable book may be her best yet. Despite this, however, I actually think Sally is only the second most interesting character in this book. The other is less likable, sometimes intensely unlikable, but far more complex. Nugent has explored two different forms of trauma and abuse here; Sally's was the more straightforward of the two.I must warn future readers that this book is very dark and disturbing at times and that may be triggering for some people. Please be cautious. Sally Diamond is beginning to connect with the world after having lived an isolated life with her late father. Will she be able to escape the shadows of her traumatic past and their echoes in the present?

We'll meet Sally Diamond, a forty-two year old Irish woman, who cares for her dying father. Thomas is a retired psychiatrist. Sally's mother was a physician who passed away some time ago. As we come to know Sally more and more, it appears that she is part of the autism spectrum. But it is far, far more complicated than that.Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say. No one gets into damaged people’s heads like Liz Nugent – I’d have known this was her writing even if her name had been deleted from the cover. Moving, thrilling, enraging and impossible to put down.” Liz Nugent's character writing is exemplary, creating a strong empathy with Sally Diamond and her struggles. The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. Nugent hits exactly the right tone of empathy and optimism, but she can’t fully banish the darkness. Winner of two An Post Irish Book Awards 2018: Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year and RTÉ Radio 1's The Ryan Tubridy Show Listeners’ Choice Award [10]

This is harrowing territory, yet the narrative strands are suffused with energy and texture. Above all, at the centre of this troubling, ingeniously conceived, utterly absorbing novel, Sally is a terrific, protean creation, imbued with immense life force and a kind of naive charm. It is never less than enthralling to spend time in her company, and the novel’s soaring coda is a tribute to her spirit. No one is writing remotely like Liz Nugent now. She is, as Duke Ellington said of Ella Fitzgerald, beyond category. 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 . . . Best known for his Artemis Fowl series for children, Highfire was Colfer’s first adult fantasy novel, a genre I had avoided because of my own narrow mind. But this line hooked me straight away. Vern, as it turns out, is a dragon, the last of his kind and a confirmed anthropophobic. The opening line shows that we have failed him. This fact is unequivocal. Why would he ever have anything to do with us in the future? I had to read on to find out in this wildly entertaining take on being antisocial. Liz Nugent inks six-figure deal with major US publisher". 14 September 2016 – via www.rte.ie. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help) Liz Nugent worked as a stage manager in theatres in Ireland and toured internationally before writing extensively for radio and television drama.I'm lost in admiration for Liz and her writing . . . it transcends genre and deserves to win literary prizes. It's vivid, pacy, taut but so very moving. It's written with enormous compassion and I LOVED the character of Sally, my heart absolutely broke for her. This novel feels *different*, it seems to me that it defies categorisation. It's dark certainly and the ending is chilling yet it's written with incredible heart’ MARIAN KEYES