House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged]

Rating:
Summary: An intelligent page turner
Review: I couldn't put this book down! Not only is it a gut-wrenching, infuriating story, but it's beautifully crafted. The voices the author crafts for the characters are an essential and satisfying element of the story.

Don't expect a clear protagonist or antagonist -- Kathy and Behrani are both at all times. And the story is exactly one of those terrible, mud-slide, everyone-yet-no-one-is-responsible situations that happen in real life.

On the downside, I struggled with the Lester Burdon character, and his complete and rapid decline from family-man and police officer to irresponsible, love-sick vigilante who literally throws his entire life -- and that of others -- away with no thought of the consequences. He seems smart, but he acts like an idiot. Yet when I question his plausibility, I am reminded by reading the newspaper every day, that competent, reasonable people do amazingly stupid and self-destructive things all the time.

Despite it's flaws, this book is a unique, engrossing and well-written story of the harsh reality of people and the situations they are forced to deal with... and don't do so well.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting! Addicting! Great escape read.
Review: This is a book that kept me up very late at night, one of those books you simply hate to put down. Not only is the story interesting and written well, but there are twists and turns that are very unpredictable. The ending is surprising and leaves the reader hanging.

I won't write much about the content of the book, as it will ruin the story. I did not find this depressing, although many of Oprah's book club books I do find depressing and sometimes so disturbing that I have not been able to finish some of them. Some of the characters are sad and pathetic and make what I think are bad choices, but the author writes in such a way that we "get inside their head" and I was able to understand in almost every case, why each character made the choices and took the actions that they took. It is the type of book where I found myself wanting to tell the character what to do or not to do, and to give them my own two cents worth of advice! The characters are so well described it was if I knew them personally.

I was riveted to this book and did not want to put it down. I found myself laughing at some parts and crying in many parts (but not depressing).

I can't recommend this book highly enough. A perfect escape-from-your-life book, a great summer read. I only wished some of my friends had read it so that I could call them and talk about what was happening! This would make a great book club selection because there is so much to talk about and when you are done you will want to talk to someone about it!

Rating:
Summary: I swore I would never read again after this book
Review: This book was such a yawner that I nearly swore off reading after I finished the book. Were these people the most stupid, unrealistic characters? Every turn of the page brought on more stupid actions and there's not a positive, inspiring person in the whole story. I must be wierd because all the reviews here are heralding this book as a 'must read.' If you're a normal, down-to-earth person and intelligent human being; don't waste your time on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Not enough Dialogue
Review: I liked the Iranian characters - I enjoyed being able to see their culture from their eyes. Other than that, there wasn't enough dialogue in this book to keep me going.

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I had heard so much about this book and was dying to read it. As another reader mentioned, it started off with a very interesting plot and detailed characters but turned into a truley miserable book. It was unbelievable, depressing and pointless. I kept reading hoping it would take a turn for the better but that never happened. I was deeply disappointed when the book was done that such a good premise turned into such a dumb story! Don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: Great Literature
Review: Friends who had tried this book were divided - one thought it was great, another thought it was too "dark". I found it moving and beautiful - the plot grows out of the people's characters, and they are sympathetic people.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting...
Review: Yes, this book was definitely disturbing; however, what I think makes readers uncomfortable is that the story may have manipulated into exposure one's own [secret] prejudices and judgments, hmm? True, we are swayed between the characters -- at times feeling "tricked" for alternatively siding with one and disliking the other. Nevertheless, to me this is not a sign of a bad or confusing book, but of a powerful writer!

Rating:
Summary: I TOLD him not to get into real estate...
Review: This is a riveting, uniquely-written story about homelessness, abandonment, co-dependency, pride, cultural ignorance, racism, machismo, despair, violence, usurpation, kidnaping. Things are never so bad they can't get worse...a depressing thought, but somehow, by the end of the book, you believe it and accept it with a certain amount of equanimity.

Life is totally beyond our control. Fate throws us together, the good, the bad and the ugly, and it is up to us to try (more of ten than not unsuccessfully and foolishly) to entangle ourselves from its net; I read this as the author's view.

Just when I thought one character was despicable, nasty traits of the others would pop up. The colonel's wife and son were the only blameless ones; the true victims.

Some of the reviewers have said the scenario is unbelievable. I think basically well-meaning people who are not judiciously self-critical can get into these kinds of terrible situations...things snowball...a stolen property; clash of cultures; emptiness of a marriage; a femme fatale or wounded bird for an otherwise rational hero to rescue; a gun. Put all these together and you have a potential tragedy.

It could have benefited from a dollop of wit. The greatest tragedies always have this, if not outright hilarity. But it was still an excellent work, with a unique style, going from one character's point of view to another, and even, in the case of Lester, written in the third person.

Someone mentioned that Ben Kingsley will play the Colonel in the movie. Great casting! Having read reviews before the book, I pictured him as I read. He can act so rigid and proud. I wonder who will play Lester and the Colonel's wife. Can't wait for the film..

Rating:
Summary: Thriller that goes wrong
Review: This started as a page turner for all the right reasons: character development, great writing, and suspense. It ended up being completely unbelievable and made the book a chore to read towards the end. How I wished they would just off themselves at a certain point in the tale. Glad to have started and not glad that I had to see it end like this.

Rating:
Summary: I am interested to see how this translates to the big screen
Review: To be honest I only read this book because I heard that Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley were starring in the movie. So I wanted to see what two Academy Award winners found so interesting. From someone who loves movies and actors the availability of emotions and the awareness of motivation drives this novel, making the movie look promising.
But this is a book review...
The book has a narrative techinque that allows the reader to become more interested in each character by alternating the story teller. One chapter is from the perspective of the Colonel(Kingsley) and the other is from Kathy Nicolo (Connelly). The writing is not beautiful. The characters are raw. The descriptions overwrought, Dubus likes to repeat phrases to convey the same imagery. But then again wouldn't you? Don't you as a person tend to say the same thing when describing something? The story is fierce it really begs the question is it necessary? Would I do this? And it is engaging in that way. If lyrical writing or movies by Anthony Minghella are your style then do not read this because you will find things too stark, overbearing, and simplistic. Which it is. But if you like character studies, perspective and finding yourself in the middle of things, not slowly drifting into things but being thrown into them, like a David Fincher movie (not as violent however), then read this. (Oh and you won't get a warm feeling by the end of it, it is a bit of a downer.)