House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged]

Rating:
Summary: A Book Worth Reading
Review: A suspenseful tale of Kathy Nicolo, a woman losing her home, Behrani, the Iranian who bought Kathy's house and is also at risk of losing it, and Sheriff Burdon, who falls in love with Kathy and will stop at nothing to help her keep her home. The confrontations escalate to a critical point and at various parts the reader will say to him or herself, "If only he had done this" or "If only she had done that." There are forks in the road and you will cringe at paths taken. This book is a grabber.
I felt that the characters were actually unsympathetic, and I did not really like any of them, yet the situation itself was highly sympathetic. I found myself seeing both sides, wondering what I would do in either person's shoes, and realized nothing is concrete; there are no clear lines. It's, well, somewhat sandy, somewhat foggy. An excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Starts off promising, goes downhill quickly.
Review: This novel started out well, the writing keeps your attention, but then you come to realize that everyone in this book is a complete jerk except for the Colonel's wife and son, and they are relatively minor characters. I don't mind a book that is depressing, so that's not the problem. Some of my favorite books are masterpieces like Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, Russell Banks' Rule of the Bone, and of course, The Catcher in the Rye. These stories aren't exactly all sweetness and light, but you care deeply about the characters and identify with them. I was hoping The House of Sand and Fog would be somewhat like these books, but it didn't even come close. First off, the colonel is a guy who comes over to America with his family after fleeing Iran because there was a death warrant placed on their heads after his buddy the Shah is toppled. Instead of being thankful that he and his family escaped to America with their lives and an opportunity to start over, he seems to hold America and Americans in general in contempt. He's always thinking about how such and such person is beneath him and would be licking his boots if they were in Iran, and how beneath him it is to work menial jobs that millions of Americans have to work at every day just to get by. He never seems to grasp the fact that if he was still in Iran he and his entire family would be dead and nobody would care about his former glory. He also comes off as a greedy jerk since, after he finds out that his house was sold to him in error, he tries to extort three times what he paid for the house from the county. Just doing the right thing and selling the house back is never considered. Add to that the fact that he's a wife-beater (although he feels really, really bad about it, so I guess we're supposed to be okay with it). So, I ended up hating him. at the end of this overlong failure of a novel, the two innocent, likeable characters, the colonel's wife and son, end up being the victims of the greed, stubborness, and stupidity of the others. What a letdown. There is no inspiring message or valuable lesson to be learned here, it's just tragedy for tragedy's sake. Don't waste your time with this novel, there are so many better ones out there.

Rating:
Summary: Ring of truth slowly lost...
Review: When I first started reading this book I was immediately drawn into each of the 2 main characters. I could easily identify with each of them. As the story intensified so did my feelings. In fact, the author did so well that as I read from each person's standpoint I was swayed back and forth to their respective argument. I loved it. Then, suddenly, this ring of truth to which I was identifying lost something...and something more. I went from seeing where each was coming from..and how I could easily do the same things to saying "Yeah, right" to myself as I read further. All actions and reactions became, in my opinion, grossly exaggerated to the point of becoming completely unbelievable. This, to me, made the story lose it's appeal. I give it 3 stars for a great beginning and what could have been a marvelous plot.

Rating:
Summary: Why am I reviewing a book I haven't read entirely, you ask?
Review: Well, I don't watch Oprah much (like her, just don't watch much day hour TV), but I happened to catch the show where the author, Andre Dubus III, came on and discussed the book with Oprah and a panel of viewers. The discussion was very interesting, and the story seemed fascinating. I bought two copies, so my best friend and I could read it together. But somehow the description each person had given, of the book being dark, or sad, or disturbing, kept me from reading it at the time. I just wasn't in the mood for a "downer" type book. I started it, I put it away for a while. I tried again, and finally I decided, that I never wanted to finish it. Somehow the dreariness of the first part, and anticipated hopelessness of the rest, simply persuaded me to not bother. I have more positive things to do with my time. So thanks, but no thanks. It sounded like it was excellently written, and a riveting tale to boot (maybe past the beginning I read), but I think I'll take a pass for now.

Rating:
Summary: IMMEDIATE ATTENTION GETTER
Review: Don't let the first sentence scare you! YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!
The characters are intriguing, and deep and who would have ever thought a story about 2 people fighting over a house could be so great. You will be instantly hooked and find yourself developing strong opinions and feelings about the characters almost immediately, it is impossible to not take sides! This book is full of feeling, drama and suspense! I was a little hesitant after reading the back cover BUT once I started I could not put it down! I HAD TO KNOW what would happen next! This book is for BOTH men and women, and you will want to read it again and again!

Rating:
Summary: Quick Read, yet disappointing
Review: I read this book in two days. The book puts you in the middle of everybodies lives really quickly, and you get attached really quickly. I wasn't able to compare my life with them, the book is totally unrealistic. And then it totally left me feeling horrible and sad. I went to work the next day still (ticked) off. I thought after I finished reading it, I would have a good review, but alas, I don't. If you like extreme tragedies, this is a great book. However, if you like books that are real and don't leave you (ticked) off, don't read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Dark, Gripping Tale Of The American Dream Gone Awry
Review: Persian immigrant, Massoud Amir Behrani, is a former colonel in the late, deposed Iranian Shah's air force, and a man who takes life very seriously. He is an intelligent, well educated man, who used to be respected in Iran as a person of position, power, and means. Behrani's former life, with all his efforts to build it, seems like it was constructed on a sea of shifting sand. He came to America with his wife, son, and daughter four years ago, with limited funds, and has spent almost all of his money setting his family up in the manner to which they had been accustomed. Appearances mean much to Behrani. His dream of attracting a wealthy, eligible suitor for his daughter by living above his meager means, has been realized. His daughter is finally married, and established in her own home. After extensive job searches, he is reduced to working as a trash collector on the California highways with other immigrants; men he would have given alms to in his native land. Angry and humiliated at how far he has fallen, Behrani decides to invest his remaining funds in a house that has been put up for auction at a Sheriff's Sale, because the owner had not paid back property taxes. He wants to restore the house and sell it at a large profit, which he hopes will enable him to provide his family with their former lifestyle, and restore some of his lost dignity.

Kathy Nicolo is a depressed, quietly self-destructive, recovering alcoholic and addict. Describing the success of her recovery program, Kathy says, "I had already stopped wanting what I'd been craving off and on since I was fifteen, for Death to come take me the way the wind does a dried leaf out on its limb." Her house, in the California hills, is all she has. It is a symbol of stability, and a reminder of a gentler past. She is adamant in her refusal to give-up her home because of a bureaucratic error.

Sheriff Lester Burdon bears terrible news when he delivers the eviction papers to Kathy. She confides in him, and he becomes obsessed with helping her fight for justice. Lester finds himself falling deeply in love with Kathy, although he is married and has addiction problems, and much personal baggage, of his own.

The contested ownership of the house on Bisgrove Street is the fulcrum of this intense novel's plot. Three people compete with increasing desperation, for the title to one small house, which has a different meaning for each of them. The tragedy lies in the inability of all three to understand one another.

"House Of Sand And Fog" is told from two points of view. And Andre Dubus III, is a master at describing each character's thoughts, and a wide range of emotions, very credibly, with much empathy, conviction and compassion. All of his characters are complex, well developed and believable. Dubus' simple narrative style is elegant, dark, and rich in detail. The plot is riveting - filled with suspense! The novel builds to a tragic, and almost inevitable, conclusion. This book is hard to put down. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Modern Greek Tragedy
Review: This painfully tragic novel starts with carefully structured plotting that soon builds up to a page turner thiller that leaves you breathless. Kathy Nicolo is a recovering addict who loses her home when the county repossesses it for back taxes.
Colonel Bahrani was once a Captain in the Iranian Army before the fall of the Shah. He escapes to this country, and is now attempting to take part in the American dream by puchasing her forfeited home. What begins as a misunderstanding escalates into a tragic turn of events. The runaway motion of the narrative reminded me of the book 'A Simple Plan' and also 'In The Bedroom'. Ironically, 'In The Bedroom' was based on a short story called 'Killings', penned by this author's father. Andre Dubus also wrote the screenplay for the movie adaption of '...Sand and Fog' which stars Jennifer Connolly as Kathy, and Ben Kingsley as the Colonel.

Rating:
Summary: Intense provoking tragedy as wills and cultures clash
Review: Set in California in the early 1990s, we first meet Massoud Amir Behrani, age 56, sweating in the sun and picking up garbage working on a road crew in one of his two low-paying jobs. Formerly, he was a Colonel in the Iranian army, a man of power and prestige. But he and his family had to flee when the Shah was overthrown and his life has totally changed. He has a plan though. And this plan is to use the little money he has managed to save to purchase a small house at auction with the intent of fixing it up and re-selling it for a profit. It all seems so simple.

But life is never simple. And human beings are imperfect. And complex. The scene is set for conflict as the author, with craft and empathy, tells a story that grows in intensity and develops into a tragedy in the classic sense.

There are three main characters and we hear their voices from their own particular points of view. And each one is flawed, rigid and somewhat stupid. However, I could also understand them.

There's the Colonel, wanting to regain something of the world he has lost. There is Kathy Nicolo, who is evicted from her home, a place which gave her life a small form of stability. There is Sheriff Lester Burdon, whose marriage is in crisis and begins to romance Kathy.

The author leaves little time to ponder as the plot moves along at a breathtakingly fast pace. There are twists and turns and new developments on every page. And suddenly things were not quite what they seemed as the clash of wills and the clash of cultures leave little room but to erupt. There is one confrontation after another and each character's actions causes the story to spin out of control. Perhaps if these three people had never met, they could have each continued their lives in simple quiet desperation. But thrown together, explosion is inevitable.

The book is 364 pages long but seemed much shorter as I literally couldn't put it down and gobbled it up in as few reading sessions as possible. Days have passed since I finished it, but I still keep thinking about it. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply moving tragedy that reads like a suspense novel.
Review: Being the child of immigrant parents who were desperate for their "American dream," I could sympathize with the Colonel and understand his pride (not arrogance as some reviewers have said). On the flip side of the coin, having recently lost a parent, I could also sympathize with Kathy, the Colonel's enemy, who just wants to hold on to what was passed down to her. To see their conflict unfold was like seeing my own inner conflicts come to life.

Although this novel started out a little slow, it quickly engrossed me to the point where I simply could not put it down. The author really captured what was in the hearts of the Colonel and Kathy (good and bad)...and also mine. Yes, it's a depressing ending, but this book is enlightening, extremely sensitive, teaches you about true compassion and it changed my life. It's one of those unforgetable novels that I hope you're open-minded and open-hearted enought to recommend to all your friends.