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A review by millhousethecat
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The story centers on a boy born with a medical condition resulting in red pupils. Meet Samuel Hill, or Sam Hell, the nickname his classmates gave him. He is unforgettable.
Although there are parts of this story that feel too precious, I fell in love with Sam, his parents and friends, and was fully invested in his journey from Catholic school first grader through middle aged eye doctor.
There are religious overtones to the book, though nothing cloying or distracting. With Sam’s mother a devout Catholic, it felt natural. All is helped by the practicality of his father’s wisdom. I loved the banter between Sam and his parents, their love for their son, and his care for them as time passes.
I also felt the relationships with his misfit lifelong best friends, Mickie and Ernie, were rich and fulfilling. Believable.
The novel jumps back and forth between Sam as a child and Sam as a forty year old man. Where once he believed his mother and her devotion to all things god’s will, when he witnesses an unexpected tragedy, it drives him away from all he loves, leveled by guilt and a lack of faith.
——
Sam Hill is born in 1957 with a rare condition: red pupils. This earns him sideways glances, unkind nicknames, and a seven year old bully who haunts him through adulthood.
Catholic school is hard, but when no one will speak to you, when the class bully singles you out, when the Sister in charge of your class holds a grudge against your mother, well, it won’t get any easier.
Good thing god sent Ernie, the only Black kid in school, to stick up for him, befriend him. The two make it through to junior high where they add lost, free spirited Mickie to the mix.
It’s difficult to summarize books spanning decades with both big and small events, so much emotion.
So, I’ll just say that the book is unexpected, sweet, sad, and tense. The chapters are short and drive you to keep reading “just one more page” before you realize that one more page was twenty, fifty, one hundred pages and it’s well past bedtime.
The best kind of book.
Although there are parts of this story that feel too precious, I fell in love with Sam, his parents and friends, and was fully invested in his journey from Catholic school first grader through middle aged eye doctor.
There are religious overtones to the book, though nothing cloying or distracting. With Sam’s mother a devout Catholic, it felt natural. All is helped by the practicality of his father’s wisdom. I loved the banter between Sam and his parents, their love for their son, and his care for them as time passes.
I also felt the relationships with his misfit lifelong best friends, Mickie and Ernie, were rich and fulfilling. Believable.
The novel jumps back and forth between Sam as a child and Sam as a forty year old man. Where once he believed his mother and her devotion to all things god’s will, when he witnesses an unexpected tragedy, it drives him away from all he loves, leveled by guilt and a lack of faith.
——
Sam Hill is born in 1957 with a rare condition: red pupils. This earns him sideways glances, unkind nicknames, and a seven year old bully who haunts him through adulthood.
Catholic school is hard, but when no one will speak to you, when the class bully singles you out, when the Sister in charge of your class holds a grudge against your mother, well, it won’t get any easier.
Good thing god sent Ernie, the only Black kid in school, to stick up for him, befriend him. The two make it through to junior high where they add lost, free spirited Mickie to the mix.
It’s difficult to summarize books spanning decades with both big and small events, so much emotion.
So, I’ll just say that the book is unexpected, sweet, sad, and tense. The chapters are short and drive you to keep reading “just one more page” before you realize that one more page was twenty, fifty, one hundred pages and it’s well past bedtime.
The best kind of book.