The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell BOOK REVIEW

• Date Published:
  2018
• Length:
  448 pages—Listening Time: 11 hr 41 minutes
• Genre:
  Fiction
• Setting:
  Mid-20th century, starting in the early 1960s; Burlingame, California
• Awards:
  Suspense Magazine Crimson Scribe Award Best Book of 2018; Suspense Magazine’s Book of the Year 2018; Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction Semifinalist 2018; Amazon Best Book of the Month Literature & Fiction 2018; Mid-Continent Public Library Best Books Pre-2023 Adult Fiction 2023; AudioFile Earphones Award 2018
• Languages:
   English, German, Italian, Spanish
• Sensitive Aspects:
  Bullying, child abuse, domestic abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, gun violence, general violence, murder, suicide, cancer, terminal illness, serious medical content, death of a parent, infidelity, sexual content, teen sex, sexual assault, sexual harassment, adult/minor relationship implications, cursing and strong language, racism, racial slurs, fatphobia, homophobia, transphobia, religious bigotry and oppressive Catholic school environment, police brutality, alcoholism and other addiction, mental illness, grief and trauma, Vietnam veteran war‑related trauma, animal death, abandonment
• Movie:
  The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell was optioned for a major motion picture adaptation, with Australian producer Leesa Kahn acquiring the rights around late 2020, and an LA screenwriter tasked with writing the screenplay, though updates on its production status are limited, suggesting potential delays or hurdles in development.
• Recommended for Book Club:
  Yes

If you’ve ever been told you “see the world differently,” you’ll understand why The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell hit me like a heart punch wrapped in a hug. Robert Dugoni might be best known for his fast-paced Tracy Crosswhite mysteries, but in this tender, quietly epic novel, he trades crime scenes for confession and gives us something far more intimate: the lifelong reckoning of a man born on the outside, looking in.

Sam Hill enters the world with ocular albinism—“devil eyes,” as some cruel classmates call them—and from that first cruel playground moment, Dugoni sketches a portrait of resilience that will linger with you. But this isn’t just a coming-of-age story about difference; it’s about faith (tested and tender), the long shadow of a mother’s love, and the ways childhood scars replay through adulthood until grace finally intervenes.

Reading Sam Hell feels like pulling up to a kitchen table with old friends who tell stories that make you laugh one minute and blink back tears the next. Dugoni’s prose hums with compassion; his storytelling leans into the ordinary tragedies and triumphs that give a life weight. There’s a dash of nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the pre-digital decades, when bullies swung fists instead of hashtags, and when small-town parishes set the rhythms of entire communities.

This is the kind of novel that turns into a conversation—about parenting, faith, resilience, and how we each define “extraordinary.” It’s pure book club gold: accessible, moving, and morally chewy. So brew yourself a cup of something cozy, pull up your reading glasses, and let’s talk about the boy with devil eyes who grew up to see the world more clearly than most.

From the very first pages of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, we meet Sam Hill—a boy born with a rare condition that gives his eyes a startling red hue. For Sam’s devout Catholic mother, his “special eyes” are a sign from God, a mark of purpose. For much of the world around him, though—especially in his small California town and the strict parochial school he attends—they’re reason enough to cast him out. Dugoni traces Sam’s journey from these early years through adolescence and well into adulthood, charting how a child branded as “different” grows into a man still wrestling with the meaning of faith, friendship, and forgiveness.

Along the way, Sam finds small anchors of belonging: a fiercely loyal friendship with two other outsiders, a steadfast mother whose faith could move mountains, and the quiet thrill of discovering who he’s meant to be. His life unfolds in three distinct parts that mirror the stages of most of our lives—those hopeful, awkward beginnings; the choices that shape our middle years; and the reckonings that come when we look back and ask what it all meant.

Without ever feeling rushed, Dugoni creates a full arc of one man’s life—schoolyard battles, heartbreaks, a vocation that both heals and haunts him—and he does it with the kind of tenderness that makes every detail feel lived in. It’s a story about seeing and being seen, about how the very thing that marks you as “different” might just become the reason you’re extraordinary.

Followers of Readers With Wrinkles will love The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. Here is why.

It’s a story that spans a lifetime.

There’s something deeply satisfying about a novel that follows a character from childhood to adulthood, letting us witness all the missteps, growth, and hard-earned wisdom along the way. Sam’s journey feels whole and deeply human—an exploration of how the person we were as children echoes in the choices we make as grown-ups.

It celebrates mothers of fierce faith.

If you had—or have—a mother or grandmother who believed in you with stubborn conviction, you’ll see her reflected in Madeline Hill. Her faith isn’t just religious—it’s the unshakable belief that her son is meant for more. She’s one of those unforgettable literary mothers who lingers in your heart long after the book closes.

It explores faith without preaching.

Dugoni approaches religion with honesty and respect, opening space for readers of all beliefs. The novel invites reflection rather than telling you what to think. It’s about the complicated conversation between belief, doubt, and the mysteries that time never quite resolves.

It’s a love letter to resilience.

Sam’s hardships could have made him bitter, but instead they forge him into someone compassionate, steady, and quietly brave. His story reminds us that strength isn’t loud—it’s the ability to keep showing up for life, even when it’s unfair.

It’s ideal for book clubs.

From moral questions to family dynamics to how we define “normal,” there’s a lot to unpack here. Every reader will see something different in Sam’s journey, which makes for the kind of rich, layered discussion that keeps a book club buzzing.

Get Robert Dugoni Books

Robert Dugoni writes with the clear-eyed warmth of a storyteller who understands both heartbreak and hope, crafting characters so real you’ll feel like you’ve known them your whole life.

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Here are some read-alikes that echo the heart, faith, and life-spanning feel of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, all in that same soulful, character-first lane.

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
  A reflective coming-of-age story set in 1960s Minnesota, this novel follows a pastor’s son through a summer marked by loss, secrets, and small-town tragedy, with a gentle undercurrent of faith and moral questioning that will feel very familiar to Sam Hell fans.
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  Told through the eyes of a neurodivergent teen investigating a neighborhood mystery, this one offers that same mix of innocence, pain, and clarity as a boy on the margins tries to understand the baffling adult world around him.
• West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
  Inspired by a true story, this historical novel traces a young man’s Depression-era road trip transporting two giraffes across America, blending grit, tenderness, and a lifelong reckoning with the moments that shape who we become.
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
  An expansive, multigenerational tale set in South India, this novel braids together medicine, faith, grief, and family secrets over decades, offering the same “sink into a whole life” experience that makes Sam’s story so absorbing.
• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
  Set in a tight-knit, mid-century community, this warm, generous novel explores belonging, prejudice, and unlikely alliances, with unforgettable characters and a big-hearted tone that will appeal to readers who loved Sam’s blend of injustice and grace.
• American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar
  This coming-of-age story follows a Pakistani American boy in the Midwest as he navigates faith, family tension, and first love, offering another nuanced look at religion, identity, and the ways childhood belief shapes adult life.