Book Review: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “G-d’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was G-d who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was G-d’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

It's been a while since I reviewed a book at my personal blog, but this time it is warranted. I need to start by saying that the cover and the synopsis of this novel were not what attracted me. In fact, if I didn't hear so many recommendations for it, I might never have picked it up based on just the surface factors. I decided to check out the audio version, since my print and Kindle queues are full for a while. I'm so glad I did, as it was a real treat to hear Robert Dugoni narrate his own story.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is excellent throughout. I was engaged in the story the entire time. Dugoni has great use of character development and interactions, which kept the story flowing and held my interest. His voice went along well with his writing and almost made me feel like it was his own personal story. I didn't know where anything would go, but I liked where it ended up. There were some parts that may have felt cliched or predictable, but there was a journey to get to those plot points and I was satisfied once I had arrived. The premise is interesting and made me think of Wonder (reviewed here) in some ways. It's about accepting differences in others and in yourself. I even talked with my youngest child about the story and she said she would not be mean to someone if they looked different. (She even compared it to Wonder.) There's a lot of faith exploration and questioning, which is something I think about a lot, such as why bad things happen to good people and what Hashem's path is for everyone, as well as how things happen for a reason, even when they're not always the best of circumstances.

All great stories have their flaws, as well. In this novel, I found it strange how Dugoni wrote six and seven year-olds to sound like they were in middle school, and included a level of violence to go along with it. I can't imagine a young child being as violent as David Bateman was. Maybe an 11 to 13 year-old, but not much younger than that. Also, I felt that Sam focused way too much on his eye color and used it as a crutch, even when he had started covering up his eye color so it couldn't really be used that way. Clearly he had people who loved and cared about him and his eye color didn't matter to them. I can imagine it would be a frustrating circumstance, but of all the things that could make someone different, it seemed like small potatoes to me. In the grand scheme of things, neither of these issues were a deterrent to my enjoyment. While some parts of the story were harder to listen to than others, it still kept me wanting to know what would happen.

Overall, I loved this novel and have been recommending it to people, even when I was only halfway through. I had faith that Dugoni would keep the momentum going to the very end, and he definitely did that.

Movie casting suggestions:
Sam (30's and 40's): Lee Pace
Mickie (30's and 40's): Lake Bell
Ernie (30's and 40's): Chadwick Boseman
Madeline (30's and 40's): Marguerite Moreau
Sam (teens/college): Charlie Heaton
Mickie (teens/college): Bex Taylor-Klaus
Ernie (teens/college): Niles Fitch
Donna: Chanelle Peloso

More by Robert Dugoni:


Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."