As the world grows gradually more cynical, there remains an unwavering communal hope that one individual is enough to carry humanity through its darkest moments. In popular culture, we know these people as superheroes, and over the past decade this wish fulfillment has permeated our movies, television, and literature. Rhys Thomas’ novel ‘The Secret Life of Sam Holloway’ takes a stab at reframing this search for hope through the lens of a grieving, comic-book obsessed young man, and though it takes its exploration to some moving places, its ensemble of weak characters holds it back from fully embracing the subversiveness that it aims for.
Following the unexpected demise of his entire family several years ago, our titular character Sam decides to turn his anguish into a tragic superhero backstory by becoming the Phantasm – a mysterious figure who lurks through the night, looking for opportunities to perform small acts of kindness for strangers. Taking on the role of the Phantasm is a therapeutic release from the stresses of his personal life, and yet its roots are in his own desire to become the person that others find hope in.
For the most part, two things largely define Sam: his love for comic books, and his depressive state that detaches him from the rest of the world. The former is a quirk that may only garner superficial empathy from likeminded superhero lovers, as his efforts to do good seem to be more closely linked to his escapist fantasies than any real desire to change the world. By process of elimination, the rest of Sam’s general likeability is thus hinged on his lack of self-esteem. This supposition that the reader will automatically give him love simply because he does not give any to himself is poorly misjudged. It lets Sam get away with an extraordinary number of things that are frustrating, if not downright selfish, and yet it brushes over these actions under the assumption we will never think less of him for it. Though his poor mental state allows us to develop sympathy for him, the writing does not make any effort beyond that to show us why he is worth emotionally investing in.
All the other people in Sam’s life forgive him a ridiculous number of times regardless of the trouble he causes, and even when Sam does eventually start to feel remorse over his actions it takes the form of gratuitous self-pity. It seems that, like Sam’s friends and colleagues, we are expected to continually get behind him, be let down by his lack of thoughtfulness, and then immediately move past his mistake. Even if these characters have unlimited patience, as a reader we are given little reason to continue amending our broken belief in him. At a certain point it’s easier to just disconnect from Sam altogether.
As it turns out, Sam’s friends and colleagues turn out to be far more interesting characters than we expect, though this isn’t immediately obvious. For a large portion of the novel, Sam’s love interest, Sarah, is painted in the broadest strokes possible as the girl-next-door archetype. In the early stages of their relationship she perseveres through several red flags that indicate Sam is not emotionally stable, and her placidity seems to be an attempt to present her as the perfect girlfriend. In fact, for much of the story most of the side characters, such as Blotchy and Mr Okamatsu, are only defined by their basic relationship to Sam, and have little depth outside of their most obvious character traits.
As ‘The Secret Life of Sam Holloway’ progresses though, Thomas starts to shine a light on the deeper motivations of these people. Sarah is revealed to be at a turning point in her life, and when her past bubbles to the surface we begin to see her as a much more complex character than we initially suspected. It is a shame that these developments do not come much earlier, because in the end almost every side character becomes far more compelling than Sam himself.
Rhys Thomas’ understanding of the superhero genre as an escapist fantasy is clearly grounded in its cultural history, though in ‘The Secret Life of Sam Holloway’ he struggles to base this in the reality of modern day England with fully developed characters. Using Sam’s depression as a vessel through which we can examine the need for hope in a world overloaded with misery is the most interesting thing this novel does, as it sketches out the psychological undercurrent that has recently launched the Marvel and DC franchises into the mainstream. Unfortunately it never quite manages to fully make that connection, as it ultimately lets the idealistic tendencies of its source inspiration impede on its attempts to subvert its genre conventions.
The Secret Life of Sam Holloway is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of August 27th 2019.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A poignant and irresistible story about an improbable hero and the woman who saves him.
Sam Holloway is a survivor, but he’s not really living. His meticulous routines and quiet lifestyle keep everything nice and safe–with just one exception…
Three nights a week, Sam dons his superhero costume and patrols the streets. It makes him feel invincible–but his unlikely heroics are getting him into some sticky situations.
Then a girl comes along and starts to shatter the walls Sam has built around himself. Now he needs to decide if he’s brave enough to take off the mask and confront the grief he’s been avoiding for so long. Heartfelt and delightful, The Secret Life of Sam Holloway is a moving story about grief, love and the life-changing power of kindness.
