House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged]

Rating:
Summary: Only okay, too hyped
Review: "House of Sand and Fog" begins with a premise that is entirely unrealistic. But let's get past the entire house auction thing, yet even then what we have is barely an okay book. I liked it initially, especially Behrani's character.

Part II is however very boring. It starts with Lester's life story which is overlong, tiresome and pointless. The last 30 or so pages, right from the time Lester takes Behrani and his son with him, are so excessive yet lame, that I could only shake my head in wonder at how the writer couldnt have come up with a better conclusion. I dont mind tragic, but at least some substance, something credible... is that too much to ask?

Just consider Behrani's character... is it possible a person like that would lose his mind for even one second to use his son like that? His behaviour after that is even more bizarre. One thing I hate is inconsistent characters... Tolstoy said that a writer's worst mistake is making his character do what is not in his nature to do. How very true, and Dubus is certainly guilty of this. All 3 of the main characters are inconsistent, but Behrani was drawn well enough to have been screwed with in the end.

I also think that the Farsi used wasnt up to the mark (though I could be wrong in this). One thing I really despised was this one (weak) attempt at humour. The son says something in English with his mouth full, and it is written like it sounds, which is a joke in real bad taste on the Persian language. Wit is not the book's strong point, so I really didnt understand why the author had to do this. The author should also lose the III in his name. Who does he think he is... the Shah of Iran?

Anyway, overall I still would say it is an okay read, but you are not missing a great deal if you decide to skip it.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read, Except...
Review: I agree with so many reviewers, in that I also thought the characters in this book were extremely interesting, and that the author painted very good word-pictures of people and places.
This really drew me into the story. Even though I didn't like the lawman character, I don't doubt that there are such individuals out there. The one really glaring writing flaw, I thought (and this has been pointed out by other readers), was the gratuitous sex scenes. Most people over the age of puberty really don't require the description down to the last detail of the sex act. Do you think the author thought these actions unique to this couple, or that the readers needed to actually get into their beds with them?? Also, I found it disgusting that at the end, when the girl and her lawman were facing a very serious turning point in their futures, instead of thinking of what might be ahead for them, they appeared to be thinking only of getting back into bed with each other, the details of their thoughts being duly noted in detail to the reader. That was boring, at best. However, apart from this juvenile fascination for the sex act, I thought the author did a super writing job. It is not a book for everyone, but I found it very enlightening and enjoyable. Note to those who compare it to the movie: Dangerous! Movies are movies and books are books. If you are doing a book review, please don't even mention the movie--it's like comparing apples and oranges!

Rating:
Summary: Riveting Clash of Cultures
Review: This novel grabbed me from the outset. Each pivotal character is fully developed and is a study in cultural imperatives. Many reviews have complained about the unrealistic situation within which these characters clash, but the conflict is not about the situation, a government real estate auction conducted under false pretexts, as it is about the harsh realities of American life and the blend of cultural backgrounds that can cause total misunderstandings and hatreds.
A high-ranking Iranian colonel in the Shah's airforce has been disgraced and stripped of his status, his country, and his friends as the revolution of 1979 forced him and his family to flee. He finds himself in California, picking up trash along the highway with a collection of other misplaced people. But he wants to recoup his past glory and pride, and finds a way to do so through purchasing a house in auction for a dirt-cheap price.
Unfortunately, the previous owner, a down and out on her luck woman whose husband has left her, still has a legitimate right to the home and can prove it. For her, the home, given to her by her hard-working deceased father, represents her better days, her childhood, and the core of her inner life. The conflict couldn't be clearer.
The genius of Dubus as an author is his complete identity with these characters, his utterly convincing first-person narrative of the events as they unravel, switching from one character to the other, and his commitment to each person's dignity and viewpoint. I don't think the current movie, which I haven't seen, can do justice to this narrative technique and all the inner thoughts and pasts that each character carries with them.
My only complaint is with the ending of the book. There's some dithering there and the writing suffers from a lack of tightness, which is everywhere in the earlier sections.
But all along, I was riveted, in awe of Dubus's control and erudite insights into these people.
My advice: Skip the movie. Read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry, one more thing...
Review: I forgot to say this in my review. If you did not like the movie you really shouldn't rate this BOOK poorly. It is considerably better than the movie and fills in the gaps and explains behavior that would otherwise come off as just pointless and weird. Also, I just want to stress that you have to look past any technical holes in the plotline. If you get hung up here you are missing the point, which is that Kathy and Behrani are two very alike people who refuse to bend and understand one another. As a result of their selfishness and inability to understand, they end up losing everything.

Rating:
Summary: A waste of time and money (just saw the movie)
Review: This was a frustrating piece of trash movie, full of sensationalism, murder and gore, for murder and gore's sake, with no redeeming qualities that any of us - the unfortunate movie goers - could deal with. The audience was mixed; couldn't decide whether to cry or laugh (some cried, and some did laugh). The consensus of opinion seemed to be, "This is unbelievable, and why didn't they call 911, and why didn't they give that girl a tetanus shot, and why didn't Ben Kingsley change the expression on his face?" I'm exhausted! Please rate this a zero, or anything lower than one. (I wouldn't be surprised if it wins the Academy Award this year!) Oy vey!

Rating:
Summary: Contrived
Review: Nobody does much of anything that's rational in this novel. And the climax is precipitated by a series of Hardyesque "diaboli ex mahcina," from the dep sheriff's unnacountable actions in Behrani's house, to the even more unaccountable action of Behrani's son at the crisis.

Some scenes are well done, but the plot creaks.

Rating:
Summary: A big people book
Review: Do not let the fact that this is an Oprah book club book discourage you, ... If you read literature and other big people books, chances are you will like this one.
At the center of this book lies a one story bungalow in California, siezed from owner Kathy Niccolo by the county after she does not pay a business tax. Unfortunately the bills were never hers to begin with and mistakenly sent to the wrong address. But by the time the country acknowledges its mistake, the house has already been auctioned off to former Iranian Colonel Behrani.
The Colonel has immigrated to the states after revolution erupts in his country, he and his family barely make it out with their lives. Forced to take numerous blue collar jobs to provide his family with the kind of royal living they are accustomed to and still running out of money, the Colonel decides to invest in Kathy's house and quadruple his money once he sells it.
So the battle over the house begins. Kathy is desperate to get her father's house and her stable life back. A recovering alcoholic and drug user whose husband has recently left her, Kathy's life was beginning to come back together prior to her eviction.
The Colonel is deperate to keep the house, as he is nearly broke and has his name and pride to think of. He hates the fact that in America he is no one and no one cares who he was before. He needs the house and the new life and status it symbolizes to him.
Whether the county situation over the house is beliveable or not, you have to look past that and more into what Dubus is trying to portray. He does a good job of telling a story about two people who cannot understand one another, thrown together because of a situation that never should have happened. A situation that ultimately destroys what both have worked so hard for.
Dubus writes beautifully, and while I enjoyed his physical discription of things, the one problem I had with the book was that he felt the need to describe each and everything his characters did in detail. This got a little tedious at times, and I admit I did skim when this happened. I could have done without the sex too, but in my opinion that was a very minor thing.
The last few pages of the book were a little disappointing, but I did enjoy the buildup to the ending. It was a twist, it was unexpected, it was tragic. I had heard from some other reviewers that this book does not have a happy ending and I kept wondering how Dubus was going to make a tragedy out of only twenty or so pages. Well he did. Wow.
Buy it, borrow it, or check it out from the Library. Just read it. A little bit of discipline yes. Regret, definitely not.

Rating:
Summary: There's no place like home.
Review: Kathy Nicolo would kiss the ground to have the heel-clicking talent of Dorothy in this painful tale of stupidity, indecision and desire.

When two people, in dire straits, battle for one roof, no one is thinking straight. Good is not white. Bad is not black. The grey, ecru and taupe fog we all sometimes walk in is colored perfectly here.

No poppy seed naps or helpful men behind curtains, a great story with no happy ending. --Laurel825

Rating:
Summary: Sad, Unbelievable, Tradegic Story
Review: The House of Sand and Fog starts off slow, but soon make up for it. After understanding the Colonel's position and the unbelievable circumstances Kathy finds herself in, I found it hard to side with either character. Had I been in the Colonel's position I would to compromise and try to rectify the situation. Had I been in Kathy's position I wouldn't had left my house. This book is unbelievable, but that's what made it a good read. How people can be taken advantage of.

Rating:
Summary: Unrealistic premise
Review: I initially liked the book and was sympathetic to both Kathy and Behrani even though the whole premise was unrealistic. If the tax sale was not done properly and legally, it could have been voided. Behrani wouldn't have been able to sell it to a third party without title to the property being cleaned up. Also, what happened to Kathy's brother's interest in the house? As I was reading, I thought I must have misunderstood that he owned 1/2 of the house, but then at the end the author says again that he had an interest in it. Both Kathy and Behrani consulted lawyers, but these points were never brought up.

After a while, I lost all sympathy for both Kathy and Behrani and I never could muster any sympathy for Les, except for when he initially helped Kathy move into the motel. His reation when he say Kathy in Behrani's house was a complete over reaction and I never understood why he didn't back down once he found out what was going on or how he thought he was going to get away with what he was doing.

It took me a long time to decide to read this book even though it kept showing up in my recommendations. I wish I had skipped it.