The main character in Robert Dugoni's The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell could well relate. Born with red eyes, from ocular albinism, Sam Hill's mother asserts that it is "God's will" because He intends Sam to have an extraordinary life. Given the public reaction to his condition, he needs her constant reminders. The nuns don't want him at the local Catholic grade school because his presence might be disruptive. Other kids call him "the devil's son" or "Sam Hell." His worst bully is a boy named David Bateman. Sam watches as his mother's faith never wavers, but he struggles to believe with her fervor. To him, saying "It's God's will," and "God has a plan," rings like a hollow excuse.
Because of Sam's skepticism, I worried that it would veer into typical modern ridicule of faith. However, by the end, I felt the novel was quite faith-affirming. If anything, it showed a realistic struggle with faith in the face of trial and tragedy. I should warn, the book includes sex scenes (it follows his life from birth, through grade school, and adolescence, into adulthood). I enjoyed the parallel time structure (a chronological progression, alongside his present struggles as an opthamologist). Sam Hill is a likeable character, and I sympathized with his dilemma. Even though he had two devoted friends (also misfits), he's on his own to face his demons when he encounters David Bateman again as an adult.
Throughout this well-written book, the author's portrayal of life rings true. If you pick up the novel, be sure to read the acknowledgements section. In it, the author explains how the story took hold of him and grew from his experience of having a sibling with Downs Syndrome. His own mother's fierce defense of his brother taught him to value all forms of life, because even in the ordinary, life can be extraordinary.
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