House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged]

Rating:
Summary: A rare treat where a book and a movie complement each other
Review: Having last night seen a screening of the movie adaptation of this book, I can honestly say that I have not been more moved by a feature in years.

This is not a tale for those who want a classic 'winner' and 'loser', or a 'happy ending'.

Without spoiling the plot, Mahmoud (Ben Kingsley) is a former Colonel under the Shah of Iran. He moves to America after Islamic Revolution in 1979 with his wife. They have a daughter and son in America.

Mahmoud longs to bring his family the life they once had, and he thus buys a house at auction for tax deliquency.

Unbeknownst to Mahmoud, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) was the owner of the house, and she was evicted and the house sold due to a bureaucratic error. She has many demons, and the characer's portrayal by Connelly is Oscar-worthy. She can say with her eyes what Andre Dubus so eloquently wrote in the novel.

Similarly, Ben Kingsley, at home in any role, is thoroughly believable as the proud Persian Colonel.

The fundamental questions in this book that will make you think long and hard are: Who has the 'right' to own the house? How will the ownership battle for the somewhat dilapidated, yet charming beach house affect the lives of Mahmoud, his family, and Kathy? What would comprise a 'just' solution?

Andre Dubus has a singular gift for describing his characters in such a way as to elicit raw empathy from the reader. Connelly and Kingsley are actors that do the same.

This is one of the few cases where I would suggest that reading the book before seeing the movie may add to one's appreciation of the movie as a complementary vehicle for understanding these fascinating characters.

If you are intrigued by stories of people struggling through adversity in the context of a very plausible situation then this book and movie will be for you. It is powerfully written, and the characters strength in the face of unrelenting adversity will likely inspire you regardless of what you think of the book and movie's ending.

The book also is worth reading, because this book relates in some way to all of us and the feeling of helplessness we've all felt in our lives at one time or another.

Buy this book. It is worth the price as you will come to read it again when life throws you a curveball. Also, like most excellent novels, it makes you *think*, whether you liked it or not. And that's what I think most readers want to do.

You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written American Tragedy
Review: Andre Dubus's House of Sand and Fog was a much better book than I expected for a number of reasons, the biggest being that it's intelligent writing and unresolvable plot are not a typical of Oprah Book Club selections. But rising above Oprah isn't what makes it special, only suprising. What gives it its punch is Dubus's development of both the characters and the plot. Not only does the reader understand the dynamics of the immigrant situation, the weakness and uncertainty of a recovering addict and the passive aggressiveness of a troubled cop, but we become sympathetic to each of them. The characters are not merely factions at war with each other, they're humans fighting with their own demons. Reading this book, I continually found myself feeling that I could be any one of these people in the same situation. And that's what drew me into the story so deeply. There are no true villans or heroes here. Just people trying to do what they think is the best thing -- not even what they truly believe to be right. This is not a short book, but it's a page-turner. It's also a relatively simple book to read and even easier to understand, although the story is not easily reconciled. If you usually shy away from Oprah picks, this is one time to put aside any prejudice. If you like generally enjoy her selections, House of Sand and Fog will certainly stand out as onre of the best-written, most distinctive books she's recommended. As a footnote, for those interested in similar immigrant conflict stories, I also highly recommend T.C. Boyle's Tortilla Curtain. Both books are sure to make you more aware of how our country is changing and how we need to change with it.

Rating:
Summary: Promising plot, poorly executed
Review: This is a piece of popular fiction, so I wasn't expecting literature and didn't hold it to that standard. Still, a more skilled author and a decent editor could have made a really good "read" out of this plot: a bureaucratic error creates two victims, the Colonel, an Iranian exile for whom the bargain-priced house represents the last best chance for his family, and Kathy, the "recovering" lush and cocaine addict for whom the house is the last thing she has.

We begin with the Colonel, and though clearly the author's intent was to have our sympathies shift from him to Kathy and back again along with the shifting first-person narrations, that never happened for me, because though Kathy's character is certainly pathetic, she arouses little sympathy. The author gave me no reason to like her. But the most poorly drawn and completely unpersuasive character is that of Lester, the cop who jettisons all for Kathy. Why? The author never makes that case. Because Lester's motivations and actions are crucial to the denouement, Lester's unbelievability makes the climax of this story unpersuasive. It made me angry, but it didn't move me, because I didn't buy it.

One detail that illustrates the story's unbelievability is that Kathy's family back East has no idea what's happened until her mother flies out and sees the house wrapped in police tape. The story takes place in the 1990's, when CNN and the other round-the-clock networks would have sent this "believe it or not" story not only around the nation, but around the world. Come on, author.

As to the poor editing, I'd estimate that about 100 of the book's 365 pages are pure filler.

Rating:
Summary: one star or five.....
Review: So I'll settle for three. But allow me to explain. I had a hard time with this story. While reading it, I loved it. When I finished it, I hated it. Now that I mulled it over, I decided what my problem was is that I hated every character in this book. It would be disturbing if anyone actually sympathized with these horrible, selfish people. That's how the book was written, and Dubus did an excellent job of describing everyone of these people. So, it was a wonderfully written story (5 stars) about idiot people who continue to make hideous, tragic choices (1 star). Get it?

For me, I don't have to love everybody I read about, and not every ending needs to be a happy one. This book effected me in a way few books have. I was depressed while I was reading it and when I finished. Both Kathy and the Behrani were pathetic, lost souls. Behrani's motives for wanting this house are clear from the beginning, but that didn't make him right. Kathy's motives are murky until almost the end, and she's wrong all the way around as well. Enter Les, and he's just as lost and sad.His motives for saving this house are obvious (Kathy) but that doesn't make him any more mature or intelligent. These three were made for each other, so it wasn't surprising they were thrown together under unpleasant circumstances. If a story leaves me with such a feeling of discomfort several days after I've finished it, I can only assume it's touching a nerve in me somewhere. In a way, we are all sad, pathetic creatures because we all can be prone to a few dark clouds hanging around our heads. I guess it touched my "inner loser."

As far as flaws in the story goes, there were plenty. Most frustrating for me the most was this weird relationship between Kathy and Les. Les, who is married, was mysteriously drawn to Kathy, with no explanation as to why. She's an accident waiting to happen, so what does Les do? He sleeps with her. There was no explanation as to the attraction, what drew him to her, or why he fell so quickly and deeply in love with her. I agree with other reviewers who believe the premise of the story is over the top. But I am someone whose house went into foreclosure due to an error on our mortgage company's part for not a whole lot more than $500, so that's realistic to me. The difference is that the problem was cleared up with a phone call or two. Love it or hate it, it's still an interesting, thought provoking premise.

Give this book a run. Sure, you may hate it, but I believe you're supposed to. That's what makes it so good.

Rating:
Summary: SLOW moving and inaccurate setting
Review: I bought this book and have bought others like it for Oprah's endorsement and because I enjoy human stories such as Bastard out of Carolina and Cane River.
But this book was so slow moving and as others have commented - the characters utterly unlikeable, irritating and downright silly.
Why does Lestor barge into the house, hold the family hostage and then proceed to inflict his rage upon them? There is no reason for his silly behavior other than that he is separated from his family and very bitter at his situtation.
Other than that - the writer never truly leads up to this climax. One of the most irritating things about this book - is Dubus' awful and annoying mis-use of California settings.
As any early, unpublished writer will tell you the first thing you learn in creative writing 101 or in any other writing class is "write what you know." I wish Dubus would have learned that lesson.
This Massachusetts author proceeds to write about the California coast and its settings in an inaccurate manner.
When Kathy and Lestor begin meeting - they meet in a Carl's Jr. Are there any Californians such as myself out there? Well, Dubus proceeds to tell us that the Carl's Jr smells of chickens and potatos and all the bar stools were filled....pardon me??????????? Bar stools????
And as Kathy and Lestor are eating - a waitress comes by to top off their coffee...huh??????????
In case you aren't from California, I'll just say that Carl's Jr. is a step above McDonald's and not a big step at that. There are chicken sandwiches but no stools and certainly no waitresses wandering around the place topping off coffee. Sheesh!
My point? Right from the start - when a writer isn't writing what he knows and is making such annoying mistakes as this - that's bad - and shows he's a sloppy writer.

I would pass pass PASS on this sloppy characterization, silly story lines and overall BAD writing.
And Dubus? Please write what you know and stick with the East coast. I mean how hard is it so write diner...hmmm?

Rating:
Summary: This house is built with great writing..
Review: To correct myself, I read House Of Sand and Fog again and to say it, I found the second reading very good. Of course House Of Sand And Fog is about Colonel Berhani; a former Iranian Air Force colonel under the Shah's Air Force. So now, when the fall of Terhan came to the Islamic Revolution, he then escaped with his family and went to California. So now, Berhani is trying to repair his status by buying a house that the county is selling and so he buys the 'bungalow' and things start to turn for the worst. We then meet Kathy; a drug addict who recovers from her addiction and finds out that the county sold the house to someone else and she didnt know that they sold it. So now she is caught in a legal battle with Berhami while he keeps his wife Nadi and his son Ismail in the dark. Then comes in Len; a cop who gets caught in her struggle for the house. Len then falls in love with Kathy, and things start to heat up between the two because they come from two different societies and cant understand each other because of their differences. Then Len breaks into the house and takes hostage Berhami, Nadi, and Ismael in their bathroom. So now things dont look good, and the end is very tragic. I am not going to reveil the ending, but rereading this book made me apperciate a good book when I see it. Some people might not like this book for the way Les acts in the end, but the writing it TOP NOTCH and the characters are fresh and interesting. Andre Dubus III brings Nadi and Berhami to life, and I do have to give him some credit for doing his research on the Persian society and their langugage Farshi.
So if you are looking for a book with some good writing, then this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book Club Book We Have Ever Had
Review: This was about the 24th meeting of our book club, and so far this was our best book talk by far. There is no definitive right or wrong in this book. It moral questions have very grey answers. There is a lot to think about in this story and a lot to discuss. If you are not in a book club, find a friend who has read it. It really requires discussion after reading. Excellent, rich story with many layers.

Some of us, in the book club, emphasized with one character and felt the other was wrong. Some emphasized with every character in the book. All the characters were both good people and yet morally flawed in some way. Many small decisions made by the characters along the way add up to a sad ending that could have been avoided.

Rating:
Summary: REMARKABLE!!!
Review: "I rise and carry my tea out the front door and walk barefoot upon the grass. The blades are long, at least 2 centimetres, and as I walk around to the side of the house I make a mental note to purchase a grass cutter as well, something used, nothing extravagant. The sky has lost most of it's light and my new neighbours have turned on the lamps in their houses."

A great page-turner in every sense of the word. You either like the characters or you do not.The story basically centres around three people.
Meet Kathy Nicolo, a recovering alcoholic who does not realize that her home in the California hills is up for sale due to non payment of tax duties, and is evicted in a flash. Kathy
treasures this home, for it bears great sentimetal value being a gift from her father, and she hasn't the slightest idea of what this eviction is really about, as she is forced to scamper out of her home.
Meet former Colonel from Iran, Amir Behrani a former follower of the Shah who now after the revolution has made California his home. Forced to take menial jobs since coming to California, Behrani seizes the opportunity to become self employed when he purchases Kathy's house from the state. Behrani plans are for he and his family to live in it for a short while,and afterwards, selling it off at a profit. This will allow him to give menial work a hike for good, and seek out other real estate
areas, whilst restoring the family's dignity with the life they were accustomed to in the East.
Also playing a roll in this fiasco is Sheriff Lester Burdon, a married man who in a short space of time is totally overwhelmed and infatuated by Kathy Nicolo and takes up her crusade against the former Colonel.
The story takes the shape of an ongoing battle between the two, Behrani and Nicolo with the Sheriff at her side. This battle which gets loud and terrible physical at times as each party plots against each other in the meanest way, stopping at nothing and going to unbelievable destructive lengths to get what they both desire, that house in the California hills.
Heather Marshall May 5th 2004

Rating:
Summary: Can I give zero star?
Review: Save your time...save your money - don't read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting View
Review: This book was a slow start, however, as the story unfold, the reality of the situation left you feeling out of sort. You definitely could not take any side because there wasn't a side to take. The problem stemmed from the county/government agency srewing up again...and the havoc it plays on people's lives. People whose lives are less than perfect for whatever reason. The book shed light on the fact that it does not matter who you are or where you are from, we all experience difficulties, even when we are in the right...outside influences can lead us astray and we find ourselves on the wrong side of the track.

Yes, the young woman was hopeless...in the land of plenty the only things she could find to reach out to ...was alcohol and drugs, and top it off with a married man with kids, and when that formula does not appear to be working...why not blow your brains out from frustration?

The immigrant has his flaws as it is the culture in which he grew up. However, he was trying to maintain the lifestyle that his family was accustomed while trying to start a new life in a new country. Fortunate for him, he was an intelligent man, and would not succomb to the threats by the misguided local law enforcer...who, after seeing a beautiful female in distress thought that his loyality lies with her. After one night of passion, suddenly his family and his job does not quite measures up to the grandeur in bed he experienced the night before with our misguided drug infested alcoholic.

I am happy the book did not take sides...it gives a reason to think about things, instead of being provided with the answers to everything. Let's just call it mindful reading.