Book(s) Review - A Twofer - Strange Sally Diamond and Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

 Ok friends, I cannot remember who mentioned Strange Sally Diamond (Nicole, somehow I think it was you) by Liz Nugent but I cannot thank you enough.

After spending months on the waiting list for it at the library, I finally received it a few days ago and I devoured that book.  Here's the synopsis from Amazon -

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.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “truly incredible reading experience” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

For the first couple of pages I was thinking this might not be one that would grab my attention; but it quickly did and I was hooked.  I'm reluctant to say anything other than that Amazon synopsis because I'm afraid I'd give something away (there is a LOT to digest).

After I quickly finished that book, I went to the library to see what else they might have on the shelves from this author and I discovered Little Cruelties unfortunately, that was the only thing they had to offer.  

I also devoured this book in less than 24 hours.  Again, with the Amazon synopsis (yes, technically cheating when I let Amazon dominate the word count in this post but oh well...)

All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral.
But one of them was in the coffin.
William, Brian, and Luke: three boys, born a year apart, trained from birth by their wily mother to compete for her attention. They play games, as brothers do…yet even after the Drumms escape into the world beyond their windows, those games—those little cruelties—grow more sinister, more merciless, and more dangerous. And with their lives entwined like the strands of a noose, only two of the brothers will survive.
Hailed by New York Times bestselling author Shari Lapena as “brilliant, engrossing,” and perfect for fans of breathtaking suspense, Little Cruelties gazes unflinchingly into the darkness collecting in the corners of childhood homes, hiding beneath marriage beds, clasped in the palms of two brothers shaking hands. And it confirms that Liz Nugent is truly “a force to be reckoned with” (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author) in contemporary fiction.

Liz Nugent appears to be a genius when it comes to creating stories about seriously dysfunctional family dynamics.  In comparison to the families she presents in these two books, my family looks positively normal (they are not, at all - but, boy howdy!, they aren't this bad!)

As I mentioned, this was the only title on the shelves at my library; but I will most definitely be requesting more titles from this author.