Birchie's enthusiasm for Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent was infectious and I was so excited when it came in to the library pretty quickly.
Within the first couple of chapters, you're going to know if this book is for you. This recap has minor spoilers for the first chapter. Sally Diamond took her father literally when he told her to put him in the trash when he died and now she's in the center of a furor. There are things that come to light that Sally had no real say in, but do directly impact her life. And thus a mystery begins to unravel.
There are some challenging themes and scenes in this book (violence against women and children, including sexual, racism, ableism), so I do not think this book is for everyone. But. I thought it was readable and I didn't guess any of the twists! I think I have to come clean with you and admit that I am not great at figuring out twists in most circumstances, so maybe that's not the best selling point. I just thought the plot was riveting and well done.
I also would like to say that while Sally does make some unusual decisions and she's portrayed as "strange" (sort of like Eleanor in Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, only Sally isn't an alcoholic jerk, merely immature and unaware of social cues), I found myself nodding in agreement with most things Sally does and says. There was something about the way everyone reacted to Sally that sort of upset me and I think I'm just taking it personally because I am somewhat a Sally. Fine. I'm strange. I'll own it. I don't think it was strange that she wore a red beret to a funeral, I don't think it's strange that she took her father's "jokes" as literal, and I don't think it's strange that Sally brings to earplugs to loud places, especially concerts and movie theaters. But, you know. Go ahead and call her strange if you want to.
I liked this a lot. I'm snagging half a star because I felt personally attacked and some of the scenes were a bit too graphic for the likes of me, but if you like a twisty mystery with an unusual main character, this might work for you. 4.5/5 stars
Hat mentions (why hats?):
I counted 16 hat mentions, a lot of them having to do with winter gear (hat and gloves, hats with earflaps, etc.) and so many having to do with Sally's fashion choices.
Tall and strong in a black coat with a jaunty red hat, at Thomas Diamond's funeral. (page 269) - I like a good use of the word jaunty.
Doesn't sound like I'll chance this, but my mental librarian is slotting this on the same shelf as those end-of-life-choices books that you read last year. Hat mentions out off the charts! I wonder--book with the most mentions you've ever noted?
ReplyDeleteI don't know what book has had the most hat mentions, but I have added hat counts to my spreadsheet to start keeping track! Good question!
DeleteI think that a lot of us can identify with Sally, and add me to the list of people who can never guess the twists. The half star deduction is fair, but wowza what great writing and great plotting. When I started reading it I was like "oh this is just Eleanor Oliphant again with [some other book that I can't say because it would be a spoiler] mixed in" but she took it to a totally original place.
ReplyDeleteThe author was on Sarah's Bookshelves podcast a while back and it was a great episode. Sarah just posted that she read another of Liz Nugent's books and that the bad guy was badder than the bad guy in Sally - yikes I don't know if I have the stomach to take on another of her books but someday I will try.
I rarely listen to the author episodes of Sarah's Bookshelves, but I went ahead and added that one to my playlist. Thanks for the rec! I don't know if I'm going to delve in any deeper to the Nugent catalog if things get darker than this. I'm not sure I could handle it.
DeleteOkay, i love a twisty mystery. The reason I haven't rushed to read this is... from what I can glean from everyone's descriptions, my daughter is a Sally Diamond. I got SO SAD reading The Maid because I just hate the thought of people like that being misunderstood and taken advantage of. So... I'm afraid this book will make me sad for the same reason. But everyone raves about it, so I still might read it. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI don't read a ton of thrillers/mysteries, so I haven't read The Maid, but I think that I know what your daughter is like (I think I'm quite similar) and this maybe should be a pass for you. The reaaaalllly dark stuff doesn't happen to Sally, but it's dark and the way people treat her is dark, so maybe you should just opt out of this one.
DeleteI cannot decide on this one; I think NO is probably the safest bet for me...but I am so intrigued and I do love twists that I can't predict.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm going to say that if you really want to read this, you should, but the topics are dark and there are some pretty graphic scenes. Do with that information what you should. I liked it, but I'm never going to revisit this one.
DeleteIs it one of those where the author wants to hint at autism and uses stereotypes to define the character— The Maid is coming to mind?
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Maid. I think this is somewhat more nuanced than what you are suggestion, though. Sally suffered some big time trauma as a child and then wasn't given proper treatment, so she's naive and immature. It's possible she's neurodivergent, but the book is more nuanced than just hinting at her as a person on the spectrum. I'd be interested in hearing from people who are neurodivergent about what they think about this portrayal, but I don't think the characterization is superficial. Birchie and I actually had an email exchange about how even when Sally does get some therapy and seems to get better, she reverts back to some of her old ways in times of stress, which I think would totally happen. YMMV, but I think it's pretty realistic.
DeleteHave I told you that I thought a cat burglar actually stole cats? My husband's nickname for me is Literal Lisa. I think many of us will see themselves in some of the character traits. It sounds like this is just a more extreme use of those character traits. I am tempted to read this, though! And I NEVER guess twists. Never.
ReplyDeleteA CAT BURGLAR STEALS CATS!?!? Oh, that's wonderful. I'm going to be chuckling about that all day. Come for Zelda! I bet you could get upwards of $20 for a slightly used, loud cat!
DeleteI'll have to make a note to come back to this later this year. I love a twist mystery and, as a quirky person, Sally might resonate with me....
ReplyDeleteYay! I hope you like it as much as I did.
DeleteI just love that you continue to keep track of hats.
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent book and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Is the hat thing an unhealthy obsession? I guess time will tell.
DeleteI DO like a twisty mystery with an unusual main character. I find that when you read a lot of mysteries it can sometimes be difficult not to guess the twists, and twists are not everything, but there's something really agreeable for me about every now and then having my jaw drop metaphorically, having not seen something coming.
ReplyDeleteI bet you're right that if I read more books like this I would be better at guessing. Oh, well. I sometimes find the themes so dark that I have to pace myself with mysteries and thrillers. I would be interested in knowing if someone (like you!) who reads a lot of these types of books would predict this one.
DeleteThis sounds like a good read. I'm laughing at you relating to Sally's strange quirks. Hey, quirky isn't bad. I think I'm pretty good at figuring out twists in movies. I don't read enough mysteries to know if I'd be able to pick them out in a book.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I've been BLIND to upcoming twists. Was I always like this? I don't think so...
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of this book, but I'd probably give it a try. I love Your Hat Mentions!
Ok, you have me intriuged, I put it on my TBR. As for tough content i don't think any book can more horrible, uncomfortable and sad as the Danny Trilogy https://www.goodreads.com/series/186221-danny-trilogie based on real events. I am still recovering form the second one and haven't mustered he third yet. One day.
ReplyDelete