BiblioBlog

August 25, 2003
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: one of Oprah’s Book Club picks (though I didn’t know if when at the time) and one of the most captivating books I’ve read all year.

The story centers around two main characters - Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani and Kathy Nicolo. Kathy is a former cocaine addict trying to recover from her husband leaving her eight months earlier. Due to a bureaucratic error, Kathy’s house, left to her by her father, is seized and put up for auction. Behrani, who fled Iran four years earlier and is having a tough time finding a good job, takes the last of his family’s money and purchases the house for a very low price. This is when the real trouble begins.

Kathy, naturally, wants her house back. Behrani sees this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to get his family’s fortunes back on track and refuses to sale without at least tripling his money. Meanwhile, Kathy has become involved with a married police officer, Les Burdon, complicating both her life and his.

Immediately, this book grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. I felt sympathy for both sides in this struggle and couldn’t imagine any way that this would work out well for anyone. I wanted everyone to get what they wanted, though that obviously couldn’t be. I worried about all involved- epsecially Mrs. Behrani and Kathy - and feared what would happen to these wonderfully vivid characters.

Not giving anything away, I totally felt that the book had an inevitable conclusion once it began moving. I was completely drawn in and recommended this book heartily.



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Comments

Ever now and then a book hits me with WOW! Gap Creek did. Cold Mountain did. Wouldn't change anything-its all just right. Read an interview with him on the web just now. He says he started writing because of his girlfriend writing and she didn't like it but he didn't care because he found out he was made to write. He wrote it over 4 years in his car; his home was too noisy with 3 kids. Lots of experience to draw on from his past jobs.

Posted by: kate sisco on August 23, 2004 04:12 PM




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