The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Robert Dugoni
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Born with ocular albinism, Sam Hill feels the world is against him – and the kids that call him “Devil Boy” at Catholic school don’t help. But eventually, with the support of his loving parents and loyal best friends, Mickie and Ernie, Sam learns to appreciate all that life has given him.
Expectation: A coming-of-age story about friendship.
Reality: A decades-spanning novel that explores faith, fate, friendship and love that is always enjoyable but also a bit far-fetched.
Recommended For: I saw one reviewer on Goodreads compare it to “Forrest Gump,” and while I never read the book, I can certainly see comparisons to the film. So, if you like a character that ends up in implausible situations with tidy endings, you’ll enjoy this.
Why I Read It: It had been on my TBR list for two years and was a free download from Prime Reading.
My Take:
As the U.S. Presidential election neared, I committed to reading and listening to light-hearted fare to brace myself for the emotional roller coaster ahead. I turned to the backlog of my TBR list and selected two novels – “Sting-Ray Afternoons” and “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell” – that, based on previous reviewers, were going to fit the bill.
“Sting-Ray Afternoons” was a nostalgia-soaked warm hug of a memoir about growing up in a time when seat belts and bike helmets were optional and cigarette smoke filled every space. “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell” shared some thematical elements to “Sting-Ray” and made a nice, fictional complement.
As a whole, “Hell” is an enjoyable but unremarkable novel. It surprised me in many ways, and I found myself invested in Sam’s journey, but it was all just a bit too tidy to be believable.
In fact, I was ready to rate it lower because it became so earnest and repetitive – almost to the point of parody – that my patience was starting to thin. Then I read Robert Dugoni’s acknowledgements and learned that many elements of the story were informed by his family, which made the story more poignant.
All things considered, there are worse ways to spend your time than with Sam, and that’s a testament to Dugoni’s writing. He knows how to construct a story and move it quickly, never dwelling on one element for too long.
I’ve never read anything by him, but all his previous novels are crime thrillers, so the quick pacing and short chapters makes sense. However, there’s still enough emotional depth between the characters that you do truly care for them.
Sam bothered me sometimes. As a teen and adult, he needed a good slap and reality check about his privilege even though he was marginalized by others because of his red eyes.
Often reality was delivered by two of the best characters – his mother, a devout Catholic who believed it all to be “God’s will,” and his best friend/business partner, Mickie, who always had a bevy of facts available that were hard to refute.
I liked the first half of the book better than the second half, mainly because of the relationship between Sam and his parents and the way Mickie and Ernie – both outcasts in their own right – form a powerful alliance with Sam that lasts throughout their lives.
Adult Sam was mopey and needed to go to therapy long before he did. There’s a lot of manufactured drama that isn’t interesting, and the reappearance of a character from their childhood didn’t seem necessary.
Still, it’s wonderful to read a coming-of-age story where parents are active and invested in their child’s life and where good will overcome evil – even if it’s all a bit too convenient. The novel did occasionally veer into white male saviorism, but Dugoni pulls it back before laying it on too think.
If you’re looking for something light-hearted that still addresses serious issues (think “Forrest Gump”) then definitely download a free copy of “Hell” from Amazon’s Prime Reading program.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: E-book (personal library)
Dates read: November 1 – 22, 2020
Multi-tasking: N/A
