"A portrait of a girl at risk that shimmers with an unusual intimacy and depth."

—The New York Times

Goodman-New

About Sam

Allegra Goodman’s new novel is deceptively simple: it is about a girl who grows up. But underneath its straightforward chronology and spare sentences lie layers of extraordinary depth, sensitivity, and tenderness. Sam offers subtle yet powerful reflections on class, parenthood, addiction, lust, and the irrepressible power of dreams. This is a novel that asks, What happens to a girl’s sense of joy and belonging—to her belief in herself—as she becomes a woman?

About the Author

Allegra Goodman’s novels include Intuition, The Cookbook Collector, Paradise Park, and Kaaterskill Falls (a National Book Award finalist). Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Commentary, and Ploughshares and has been anthologized in The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories.

Praise

“A profound and gorgeously written gem."

—PEOPLE
on Sam

“If you're hankering for a feast of love, let yourself fall under the spell of Allegra Goodman's delicious tale. You won't leave hungry.”

—THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW on The Cookbook Collector

"Goodman performs the magic trick of evolving Sam's perspective chapter by chapter to match her age."

—MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

“This is a novel full of wit and spark . . . [it] not only moved me, but gave me goosebumps.”

—THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
on The Chalk Artist

Sam is about as perfect of a coming-of-age story as I have ever read.”

—JENNA BUSH HAGER

“Superb . . . Goodman performs with the precision of a scientist and the flair of an artist at the top of her game. Grade: A.”

—ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
on Intuition

Also by Allegra Goodman