Difficult read, was compelled to read it as it was chosen for my bookclub but under different circumstances I may have given up on it. The characters are unlikeable and difficult to relate to or sympathise with. Character development is good but too detailed. The book started off quite slowly and included copius amounts of internal dialogue by the three main characters. I definitely prefer the movie version although it is similarly somber and tragic. Throughout reading the book I kept wishing one of the characters would wake up and forsee the consequences of their selfish actions, but unfortunately they never did. ( )

An Iranian flees for his life with his family to America, taking menial jobs to support them and hiding this from his family, who are living beyond their means in the hopes that this will enable their daughter to marry well. He buys a house at auction for less than it’s worth, hoping that he can sell it for a profit, and sees his wife finally start smiling and blossoming in these new surroundings.

A woman is evicted from her house, after ignoring several letters from the tax office, due to a bureaucratic error.

One of the officers responsible for her eviction becomes concerned with her plight.

These three protagonists are realistically and sympathetically drawn. I found myself empathising with all three (as distinct, perhaps, from liking them). They make one stupid decision after the other, as their paths bring them into conflict with one another, but you can understand why they’re doing the things they do, even as things spiral more and more out of control.

The stream-of-consciousness style could be perceived as drawn-out and excessively detailed, but I actually found it very readable, and a good entree into the minds of each of the characters.

I realised while reading this book that one of the joys of reading, for me, is the way in which it allows me to get into the heads of people quite unlike me. This book was a success for me for this reason. ( )

I really did not like this book when I first started it. It took me about 100 pages to get into it, but after that, I found it okay. I thought it was very well-written. I wouldn't use the word enjoyable to describe this because it's an incredibly depressing book. It's hard for me to really say what I feel about this one. I guess I liked it but I had a lot of problems with the plausibility of many of the developments in the book (e.g. the romance between Kathy and Lester and pretty much everything about the ending). I really did not enjoy the ending but in a way, it seemed to be the inevitable conclusion. I can't really imagine another ending to this tragic tale. I don't know. I'm really confused about my feelings on this one. Perhaps it was just too unsettling for me to admit that I actually liked it more than I disliked it. ( )

Probably not the best book to be reading while in the process of purchasing a foreclosed home...
An error at the tax agency forces one woman, Kathy out of her house. At the same time a hard working Persian man, Behrani takes advantage of a house that has been auctioned off. Both main characters in this book are stubborn. Lester is the deputy who takes part of forcing Kathy out of her home. He has a wife and a father of two. He goes ga-ga for Kathy and will do anything and everything to get Kathy back in her home. Mr. Behrani is willing to sell back the home he purchased but only for a profit. Lester and Kathy are convinced that Behrani family is wealthy and does not need the house. The story switches back from Kathy and Behrani narrating. Kathy who is struggling and can barely afford to stay in cheap motorlodges ends up bunking up at a fishing cabin with Lester. She falls off the wagon and more trouble ensues. All of this could have been avoided if Kathy hadn't thrown away those notices from the tax bureau! ( )

I tend not to like books about people who seem incapable of making good decisions. And one of the characters in this book is definitely like that. She just never seems able (or willing) to take any responsible action. Realistic this may be, but it's also annoying.

Another main character, on the other hand, tends to make good decisions. Decisions that are responsible financially, good for his family, and on the right side of the law. And yet, things don't turn out well for him either.

If this is a book the purpose of which is to show how quickly things can spiral out of control, then it succeeds. Good decisions or bad, no-one wins here. Too many of us, who manage to have lives that are more or less in control, this is a valuable thing to learn about. But this is an awfully depressing education. ( )