By Liz Nugent
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ (Goodreads:4.23)
GENRE: Drama/Mystery
PART OF A SERIES? No
WORTH READING? Yes
SUMMARY:
Sally Diamond cannot work out why everyone thinks what she did is strange. She only did what her father told her to do… put him out with the rubbish when he died.
Now suddenly Sally is in the limelight… a place where she is very uncomfortable. And the reasons for this soon become clear. Sally begins to come out of her shell and learn social skills which she missed due to her upbringing.
But then Sally starts receiving strange messages and gifts. And her life become chaotic again.
Opening lines: "‘Put me out with the bins,’ he said, regularly. ‘When I die, put me out with the bins…’"
This is a character-driven story about Sally Diamond – a woman in her forties who thinks and behaves like a child at times. Why, you ask? You’ll see. Sally is the most likeable character. The way she looks at things… so simply and literally. We watch her grow as a person into a more social being. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Nugent has given her main character the surname Diamond.
Sally Diamond comes to everyone’s attention because she does exactly what her father told her to do when he dies - treats his body like rubbish. Needless to say, this act does not go down well at all; not with Sally’s few friends, the villagers, or the authorities.
The reader is introduced to another character, Peter, and sections of the book are from his point of view. Like Sally, parts of his character are also likeable. His naivete becomes a little frustrating at times, but his indoctrination was so effective and complete that I guess it makes sense.
I felt furious at the biological father in this book; almost as if I would assault him if I saw him in the street.
I liked that whilst some aspects/incidents in the story were predictable (more like a foregone conclusion, really), others were not.
I admit I felt a little flat after finishing this book. It’s hard to explain – I was disheartened, yet also accepting (A teensy bit of me couldn’t help wondering why Nugent chose to take us on this journey, only for it to end like it did).
So many words come to mind when I think about this book: tense, funny, creepy, unsettling, uplifting, uneasy and disconcerting.
Overall, I would highly recommend this riveting book, with its simmering tension that curdles throughout.
This was my first, but definitely won’t be my last, Liz Nugent. {Isn’t it great to discover new authors? Can a To-be-Read list EVER be too large?!}
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