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Reviewed by Carol Thompson for Readers' Favorite
Sam’s Orchid by Daniel Soha moves between memory, imagination, and art with a confident, exploratory voice. At the center of the novel is Samantha Chadwick, a former actress whose past fame and present obscurity attract the attention of Péter, an academic and writer consumed by a long-standing fascination with a forgotten film and its elusive star. Their meeting in a Milan café sets the narrative in motion, but the story quickly expands beyond that encounter. Through shifting timelines and perspectives, Soha explores youth in 1960s London, the pull of southern Europe, and the powerful influence of cinema on identity and memory. The novel unfolds in fragments that echo the logic of film editing, allowing scenes and recollections to speak to one another across time.
Daniel Soha’s prose is intellectually playful and sensuous, with references to literature, philosophy, and European cinema. His sentences often wind and reflect, rewarding close reading. The language is attuned to gesture, atmosphere, and internal movement, giving the novel a distinctive voice. Rather than following a strictly linear plot, the book builds meaning through accumulation, inviting readers to consider how stories are constructed and reconstructed over time. Sam’s Orchid is a novel that trusts its readers. It assumes curiosity, patience, and a willingness to engage with ambiguity. Those interested in literary fiction that draws heavily on European cultural traditions, film history, and questions of memory and identity will find much to admire. The book lingers not for dramatic twists but for its ideas, voice, and thoughtful examination of how art continues to shape personal mythologies.
