The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

After months of seeing The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell pop up regularly as a book club darling and regularly recommended book, I finally got around to seeing what all of the hype was about. And while I liked it, it didn't rise to the level of something that I would universally and glowingly recommend as an all-time favorite, which is how I kept seeing it presented in different book lovers forums.

The novel focuses (of course) on the life of Samuel Hill, known as "Sam Hell", a nickname bestowed upon him due to a rare genetic condition called ocular albinism that causes his eyes to be red. Sam is born in 1957 in northern California to a German father and an Irish mother, the latter a devout Catholic and Sam's biggest supporter, determined not to let his disarming eyes hold him back. She works to get him enrolled in the Catholic grade school, where he faces the predictable teasing and bullying you might expect for one with such a condition. But Sam slowly finds his way, befriending the one Black boy in the school (Ernie Cantwell) and gradually gaining acceptance through his prowess in the classroom and hustle on the basketball court. It's also where his lifelong feud with school bully David Bateman begins.

The story extends into adulthood, and chronicles Sam's relationships with his parents, his romantic dalliances, his ongoing friendship with Ernie and their addition of a third musketeer in Michaela "Mickie" Kennedy, his professional career (hint: it's the most unsurprising career choice in the history of literature), and the inevitable ups and downs that life brings. Here's the thing: I don't know that I would call Sam Hell's life "extraordinary." He has an extraordinary condition -- the ocular albinism -- but aside from that the majority of his life is pretty mundane and in some cases (like his career choice) pretty predictable. I was expecting something akin to Forrest Gump -- that was an extraordinary, unbelievable life -- but while Sam has to deal with a series of trials and tribulations, the vast majority of it is "just life". While this is fictionalized, most autobiographies or memoirs of public figures would present a much more extraordinary life story.

That's not to say the stories and the characters aren't compelling. It was an enjoyable read, and the relationships that Dugoni develops between Sam and his friends and parents are heartwarming and memorable. There were lots of relatable moments, from his Catholic education to some of his experiences as a student. Between the bullying and the basketball, it was reminiscent of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but a book that was better written with more fully-developed characters. It was a borderline 5-star book for me -- I read it quickly, and certainly liked it -- but I think inflated expectations and the whole "not that extraordinary" component bumped it down a slight notch for me.