House of Sand and Fog Paperback – March 31, 2011

Loved the book. It was well written, and kept me turning the,pages, wanting more. It had stories within stories.I'd recommend the book to anyone.Best book I have read in a while!

I am very glad that I read this book. I must say I was not emotionally prepared for a lot of it. Much of the subject matter hit me very close to home. Now, with that said I'm thrilled that I read it. I was talking to friends and they were recommending movies for me which I'm no movie snob I lived to watch TV but I just hadn't had a really great book reach and grab me from the get. That changed. One, of many incredible things about books, is there is always a "good guy & bad guy". Here at least for me, there isn't a clear cut answer. Beautifully and painstakingly written. When I shut my eyes and see the " widows walk". I feel the sun pounding on the pavement. I also know the feeling of desperation so strong you will stop at nothing to protect WHO you, what you love and sometimes where you love

Colonel Behrani is a hardworking immigrant who has acquired American citizenship and through menial jobs has saved up enough money to buy a modest bungalow as an investment property. Kathy Nicolo is a hard-on-her-luck middle class citizen, who due to an unfortunate clerical error, will lose her modest bungalow to the Behrani family who are determined to recreate the comfortable life they once enjoyed in Iran. Colonel Behrani and Kathy Nicolo's lives collide in a tragic climax.I was not particularly impressed with Dubus' writing which seemed to try a little too hard in some places but all is forgiven because I enjoyed the nuanced parallels he drew between citizens and immigrants. This book is not just a tragedy or commentary on the changing face of America but an invitation to readers to consider the not so obvious similarities they may share with people they consider to be different from them.An uneasy sense of displacement or insecurity in one's own land, the inability to juggle both tradition and modernity, the tendency to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, the need to belong, the desire to be and do better, the deep longing for another who truly sees us yet still loves us and the strong urge to have a home.Dubus reminds us that there is more that connects us than divides us.

There is no happy ending, and you'll feel as emotionally wiped out as the main character does by the end. Nevertheless, it's one of the best feel-bad stories I've ever read/watched!Full disclosure: I first saw the movie adaptation when it came out, and it was a movie that haunted me. I had been wanting to read the book for a while, and I finally took the chance this past month to do so.In many respects, the book is superior to the movie. The characters are much more fleshed out, you learn a lot more of their histories, and each chapter (minus any chapter numbers) is told through the perspective of one of the characters so you're always inside someone's head.In other respects, the movie is superior to the book. The fat from the book is trimmed down, from additional dialogue to scenes that slowed down the pacing in the book. The ending has also been tweaked but in my opinion it's a better one (and arguably more tragic because you sympathize with the characters more than you will in the book). I lastly have to point out the amazing performances of Jennifer Connolly and Ben Kingsley which bring the characters to life. They bring their all to the film, and it shows!With all that said, there are some fantastic summaries and analyses of this book already posted here on Amazon so I won't add one of my own. But what I will point out about the story is how it illustrates even one bad decision (or lack of decision) can create a ripple effect of negative consequences. What makes the story so tragic is you're able to understand where both characters are coming from as they fight over the house. You definitely won't always agree with their decisions, perhaps they'll even anger you like they did for me, but you will always understand why they're making them.Indeed, both characters have a right to the house. But if only either of them decided to better understand each other's situations...if only either of them decided to let go of his/her self-righteousness and pride for a moment...if only either of them decided to be more honest with their family members...if only either them decided to give up the fight and see this fight was not worth it...could tragedy have been avoided.And while some might argue the ending is too depressing, that's kind of the point. Like the great ancient stories of tragedy, it's the main character's inability to see their own flaws which bring about their downfall.

A friend of mine absolutely raved about how good this book is and it seems to be very difficult to get hold of. I was,therefore, really pleased to get this second-hand copy from Amazon

good

Far more captivating than I thought it was going to be. Both sides were both heroes and villains in their own way

An error at city hall sends two people on a collision course. What was the 'right' thing to do? Things get so far out of hand that it becomes very difficult to tell.This story grabs you from the first chapter. the tale - told from the prospective off all the main characters - has you bouncing between sympathies.This story has a tragic ending where no one wins and it leaves you thinking - what would I have done? Just how far would I go to protect my own pride?

A good book for men or women. It is the source of the film adaptation with the same title starring Jennifer Connelly and Sir Ben Kingsley. It is a very faithfully adapted film, indeed. About the book, it is very well written, and quite easy and pleasant to read.