Sam - by Allegra Goodman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

What happens to a girl's sense of joy and belonging--to her belief in herself--as she becomes a woman? This unforgettable portrait of coming-of-age offers subtle yet powerful reflections on class, parenthood, addiction, lust, and the irrepressible power of dreams.

"There is a girl, and her name is Sam." So begins Allegra Goodman's moving and wise new novel.

Sam is seven years old and living in Beverley, Massachusetts. She adores her father, though he isn't around much. Her mother struggles to make ends meet, and never fails to remind Sam that if she studies hard and acts responsibly, adulthood will be easier--more secure and comfortable. But comfort and security are of little interest to Sam. She doesn't fit in at school, where the other girls have the right shade of blue jeans and don't question the rules. She doesn't care about jeans or rules. All she wants to climb. Hanging from the highest limbs of the tallest trees, scaling the side of a building, Sam feels free.

As a teenager, Sam begins to doubt herself. She yearns to be noticed, even as she wants to disappear. When her climbing coach takes an interest in her, his attention is more complicated than she anticipated. She resents her father's erratic behavior, but she grieves after he's gone. And she resists her mother's attempts to plan for her future, even as that future draws closer.

The simplicity of this tender, emotionally honest novel is what makes it so powerful. Sam by Allegra Goodman will break your heart, but will also leave you full of hope.

Review Quotes

"Sam is one of the most evocative and tender examinations of youth that I've ever read, and Allegra Goodman fully understands the strange and dreamlike qualities of Sam's world as she tries to navigate it, populated by adults who mean well but complicate every single moment. One of the best writers around, Goodman has made something truly beautiful, evoking a feeling that is hard to name but stirs inside us with every line."--Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here

"What seems at first to be a simple coming-of-age story deepens under its own weight and shows itself to be a beautiful meditation on all the ways we love and fail each other. I was moved by the cumulative power of Sam, and I'm still rooting for the characters."--Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward

"Bracing . . . Sam's . . . travails gain heft through [Allegra] Goodman's perceptiveness, specificity regarding Sam's emotions, and arresting turns of phrase. It's impressive how much emotional power is packed into this . . . contained story."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author