Strange Sally Diamond

What a brilliant psychological story this is—an emotional tale filled with unique characters and a lively Irish community. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a book that conjures up a range of emotions from start to finish. You become actively involved in a two-part story that weaves its way together towards a satisfying conclusion.

I'll give the same warning a friend on Goodreads gave me. It's best not to know anything going into the book, so I'll just be very vague with the story elements. In fact, this might be quite a boring review because I'll probably not say much at all.

The book has a quite literal, fiery introduction. Sally, a homeschooled individual with very little contact with the outside world, burns her adopted father's remains in a bin behind their home after he passes on. As local investigators look into the matter, Sally must cope with the loss in her own unique fashion. Without going into details, Sally does not quite understand why what she did raised eyebrows. She is very matter-of-fact when it comes to her emotions, and to me, Sally is not strange at all; in fact, Sally is a diamond in the rough.

We are then introduced to Peter, a young boy who experiences some grim and disturbing family matters. These sequences take place in the past, and as the book goes on, we flip back and forth between this story and Sally's in the present. Sparks fly as the two stories converge.

This is not your typical true-crime format. During most of the character moments and twists, the book remains consistently interesting, not just because of the mystery elements but also because of the character evolutions. The book will toy with your emotions, make you sit up straight in your reading chair, raise the hairs on the back of your neck, and leave you emotionally distraught. With that said, I would still recommend it. It gave me insight into certain traits that I can definitely relate to, and it also has a satisfying conclusion.