finished reading

I could not stop this book--I did not want to pause for any reason!  I was heavily invested in Sally Diamond.  Sally is one of the most complicated, complex characters I've ever read.  The slow revelations about how her early life shaped her into the woman she became were compelling and bleak.  Sally's willingness to confront her history and isolation made me root for her.  And as dark and difficult as some parts of this book were, there is some humor in Sally making sense of the world around her.  Secrets start to be revealed about halfway through the book; the narrative shifts between narrators, and suspense builds with each piece of the story.  The author explores how early childhood experiences shape us--with reverberating consequences.

As I read, I was caught up in sympathy, compassion, disbelief, and anger.  There were times I had to repeat sections to make sure I was getting it.  Like, what the actual...?  

From the publisher:

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and 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 her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged . . .