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House of Sand and Fog (Oprah's Book Club) (Vintage Contemporaries) | 
 enlarge | Author: Andre Dubus Iii
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $14.94 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  745 reviews
Sales Rank: 14088
Media: Paperback
Edition: Trade
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 365
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0375727345
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780375727344
ASIN: 0375727345
Publication Date: March 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Thanks for choosing the Atlanta Book Company!
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Amazon.com
Oprah Book Club Selection, November 2000: Andre Dubus III wastes no time in capturing the dark side of the immigrant experience in America at the end of the 20th century. House of Sand and Fog opens with a highway crew composed of several nationalities picking up litter on a hot California summer day. Massoud Amir Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian military under the Shah, reflects on his job-search efforts since arriving in the U.S. four years before: "I have spent hundreds of dollars copying my credentials; I have worn my French suits and my Italian shoes to hand-deliver my qualifications; I have waited and then called back after the correct waiting time; but there is nothing." The father of two, Behrani has spent most of the money he brought with him from Iran on an apartment and furnishings that are too expensive, desperately trying to keep up appearances in order to enhance his daughter's chances of making a good marriage. Now the daughter is married, and on impulse he sinks his remaining funds into a house he buys at auction, thus unwittingly putting himself and his family on a trajectory to disaster. The house, it seems, once belonged to Kathy Nicolo, a self-destructive alcoholic who wants it back. What starts out as a legal tussle soon escalates into a personal confrontation--with dire results. Dubus tells his tragic tale from the viewpoints of the two main adversaries, Behrani and Kathy. To both of them, the house represents something more than just a place to live. For the colonel, it is a foot in the door of the American dream; for Kathy, a reminder of a kinder, gentler past. In prose that is simple yet evocative, House of Sand and Fog builds to its inevitable denouement, one that is painfully dark but unfailingly honest. --Alix Wilber
Product Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
In this riveting novel of almost unbearable suspense, three fragile yet determined people become dangerously entangled in a relentlessly escalating crisis. Colonel Behrani, once a wealthy man in Iran, is now a struggling immigrant willing to bet everything he has to resotre his family's dignity. Kathy Nicolo is a troubled young woman whose house is all she has left, and who refuses to let her hard-won stability slip away from her. Sheriff Lester Burdon, a married man who finds himself falling in love with Kathy, becomes obsessed with helping her fight for justice.
Drawn by their competing desires to the same small house in the California hills and doomed by their tragic inability to understand one another, the three converge in an explosive collision course. Combining unadorned realism with profound empathy, House of Sand and Fog marks the arrival of a major new voice in American fiction.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 740 more reviews...
 Flawed Characters August 18, 2008
Structurally, the book was interesting. Several characters narrate the book, and the plot unfolds around a central issue--who owns a particular house. Who can live in the house? Who can sell the house? But, the major problem is that the characters are difficult to identify with or find sympathy for. All three of the central characters--Kathy Nicolo, Lester Burdon, and Colonel Behrani--remain the same. They are never changed by incredible circumstances--death, murder, suicide, inprisonment--they remain the same. Kathy has a chip on her shoulders that's never explained and Lester is just plain stupid. What motivates these characters? The reader never knows. Kathy gets herself into trouble blindly and so does Lester. The reader is left wondering how these two are bungling through life. Surely, every human has some kind of thought process that at least partially puts the world into focus--but Kathy and Lester never do. Even in jail, both Kathy and Lester are still thinking about sex with each other. Well, their worlds have fallen in on them and there is no opening in sight, and they are still thinking of a little sex. Unbelievable! Where is the introspection? When Kathy's relatives show up at the jail, she still has a chip on her shoulder. Why? What's happened between them? The writer's job is to give us some insights into human relationships. The insights are missing here. Colonel Behrani is a little easier to understand. He's outside his primary culture. He operates with a different world view than most of us, and thus we cut him some space. But even he doesn't change. His last coherent thought is that his daughter should sell the house for a certain amount. That's why the book ultimately seems flawed to me--the characters are unbelievable, unlikable, and ultimately are boring. I also agree with the reviewer who said the book is not for kids. I know there is an audio version for kids (unabridged)--but this book is definitely not for kids. The sex is raw, the drug additions exposed, the blind and stupid behavior accepted. I don't think this book will be much discussed in a decade.
Avid Reader
 * NOT For KIDS !!! * August 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I gave this book 1 star, only because the review requires at least 1 star. This book was given to my 14 year old son to read for a High Honors required summer reading program. He read through the first 2 chapters and handed the book to me and said he wasn't going to read it. My husband and I then read the book and discovered extreme graphic sexual content, not just once, but, many, many times! The description of the sexual content is not done in a metaphorical way, it is exremeley graphic! I'm totally disgusted and appalled that not only did a teacher choose this book, but that it was approved by the Director of Curriculum! PARENTS BEWARE!!!
Kathy is a creep; Lester too July 30, 2008
OMIGOSH, how is it possible to hate a person who has had her home taken away erroneously (but I did hate her)? And to hate the 'noble'(lascivious) police officer that comes to her rescue? Even though Kathy lost her home due to ignoring important mail regarding taxes, I found it so difficult to sympathize with her. That creep Lester had NO redeeming qualities; bullying Col. Bahreen while pretending to be an officer was deplorable--Not to mention jumping into bed with the 'poor victim' almost immediately. So, faced with the dilemma of whom to root for--I found myself feeling guilty for supporting Col. Bahreen.
 GREAT READ July 19, 2008
This is a great story of tragedy. I found it an easy read and couldn't put it down. I finished it very fast because the writer keeps the story moving. Very good writing as the characters are strong and easy to imagine. Highly recommended.
Suspenseful, keeps you reading! July 18, 2008
Events occur & become intertwined with one another. Dubus keeps you wondering where it is all heading. The book is easy reading & you have to
keep reading to FIND OUT what is going to happen! When NOT reading this book I found myself wondering what Kathy & Lester & Behrani (the main characters) were up to next!
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