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A review by constantine2020
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Contemporary + Literary Fiction
This is a story that follows two main characters. The first is Mr. Behrani, a man who served as a colonel in the Iranian Air Force during the time of the Shah and who has a strong desire to live with his family in a respectful manner. He grabs the opportunity to buy a beautiful house from the county at one of its auctions for a very attractive price.
The second main character is Kathy Nicolo. She is a recovering addict and the former owner of the house that the colonel purchased. She thinks the county has wrongfully taken her property, which should be returned to her.
Things get even more complicated when a married cop gets involved with Kathy and loves her, so he tries to help her get the house back in any possible way. But how everything ends is truly tragic for everyone.
I went into this book knowing the whole story because I watched the movie adaptation many years ago and loved it so much. I wanted to see how the book was compared to the movie. I’m glad to say that the book is really well-written and intense. The narration is in first-person style and told from the two main characters’ POVs. Towards the middle of the book, a new narration from the cop’s POV is introduced, but that one is in third-person style.
The story is really tense and sad. What I like about the author’s style is that there is no clear hero or villain in the story. The characters are just normal people who try to survive by making right or wrong decisions. No two readers will agree on who is right or who is wrong in this story.
House of Sand and Fog is a genuinely thought-provoking novel. It delves into themes of grief, loss, identity, and survival. With such a moving story, many readers will have to take sides. Both the main characters and the other characters were well-developed. I preferred the movie ending more than the book because it was more dramatic. The ending in the book is excellent, too, but it is more subtle.
All the actors in the film adaptation did a great job bringing these characters alive, but if I had to pick one name whose performance never left my mind, it has to be Shohreh Aghdashloo for playing Mrs. Behrani. She gave a very emotional and raw performance. I don’t understand why she didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress that year. After reading this book, I will be looking forward to reading more books by Andre Dubus III in the future.
Genre: Contemporary + Literary Fiction
This is a story that follows two main characters. The first is Mr. Behrani, a man who served as a colonel in the Iranian Air Force during the time of the Shah and who has a strong desire to live with his family in a respectful manner. He grabs the opportunity to buy a beautiful house from the county at one of its auctions for a very attractive price.
The second main character is Kathy Nicolo. She is a recovering addict and the former owner of the house that the colonel purchased. She thinks the county has wrongfully taken her property, which should be returned to her.
Things get even more complicated when a married cop gets involved with Kathy and loves her, so he tries to help her get the house back in any possible way. But how everything ends is truly tragic for everyone.
I went into this book knowing the whole story because I watched the movie adaptation many years ago and loved it so much. I wanted to see how the book was compared to the movie. I’m glad to say that the book is really well-written and intense. The narration is in first-person style and told from the two main characters’ POVs. Towards the middle of the book, a new narration from the cop’s POV is introduced, but that one is in third-person style.
The story is really tense and sad. What I like about the author’s style is that there is no clear hero or villain in the story. The characters are just normal people who try to survive by making right or wrong decisions. No two readers will agree on who is right or who is wrong in this story.
House of Sand and Fog is a genuinely thought-provoking novel. It delves into themes of grief, loss, identity, and survival. With such a moving story, many readers will have to take sides. Both the main characters and the other characters were well-developed. I preferred the movie ending more than the book because it was more dramatic. The ending in the book is excellent, too, but it is more subtle.
All the actors in the film adaptation did a great job bringing these characters alive, but if I had to pick one name whose performance never left my mind, it has to be Shohreh Aghdashloo for playing Mrs. Behrani. She gave a very emotional and raw performance. I don’t understand why she didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress that year. After reading this book, I will be looking forward to reading more books by Andre Dubus III in the future.