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House of Sand and Fog (Oprah's Book…
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House of Sand and Fog (Oprah's Book Club) (Vintage Contemporaries) (edition 2000)

by Andre Dubus III

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
6,6291191,420 (3.74)181
A recent immigrant from the Middle East--a former colonel in the Iranian Air Force--yearns to restore his family's dignity in California. A recovering alcoholic and addict down on her luck struggles to hold onto the one thing she has left'her home. And her lover, a married cop, is driven to extremes to win her love.Andre Dubus III's unforgettable characters--people with ordinary flaws, looking for a small piece of ground to stand on--careen toward inevitable conflict. Their tragedy paints a shockingly true picture of the country we live in today.… (more)
Member:AMuledy
Title:House of Sand and Fog (Oprah's Book Club) (Vintage Contemporaries)
Authors:Andre Dubus III
Info:Vintage (2000), Edition: Trade, Paperback, 365 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:American, New Fiction

Work Information

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III

  1. 00
    The Master Planets by Donald Gallinger (donitamblyn)
    donitamblyn: This newly-released novel is another story of the way lives can be deeply affected by forces we don't understand. In HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, we see good people turned against each other because of events beyond their control, coupled with the (uninformed) judgments they make about each other. In THE MASTER PLANETS, we see an exuberant and talented kid in 1970s America -- a kid on the threshold of realizing his dream of making world-changing music -- being derailed by events that happened 30 years before in war-torn Poland. This kind of stuff is fascinating in showing how we are really all tied together across time, distance, and culture. I must say that I much prefer the ending to MASTER PLANETS, as it gives the hope of redemption. "There is more in heaven and earth...." Interestingly enough, it's also a truly rollicking read. I couldn't put it down.… (more)
  2. 00
    Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński (wookiebender)
    wookiebender: I read House of Sand and Fog several years before Shah of Shahs, but I would recommend reading them the other way around! Gave me some background information on Iran that filled in a few gaps in my knowledge.
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» See also 181 mentions

English (117)  Spanish (1)  All languages (118)
Showing 1-5 of 117 (next | show all)
The American dream gone wrong us how I describe this novel. It goes wrong for an Iranian family who had to leave Iran without their wealth and are trying to keep up appearances as Col. Behrani works collecting garbage on side of the hwy and changes into a suit before going home so people won’t know what he does Kathy Nicole is a recovering addict who is trying to get her life back together and the only thing of value she has is the house her father left her. But things go terribly wrong for both these people all entered around her house and a clerical error and all hell breaks loose.
Thus was a good read that kept me turning the pages. The only thing that bothered me was the detailed descriptions of people’s bad breath and the deputy sheriff’s crooked moustache . ( )
  Smits | Feb 13, 2024 |
Disturbing story of young woman whose home is taken away in error and auctioned to another family. Both strive to keep their home and end up destorying themselves.
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
Heartbreaking. A story of pride and greed colliding with irresponsibility, with tragic unintended consequences. The story is mostly told from two viewpoints in the first person. I'm not a fan of first person, but this worked because there was more than one "first person". I'm glad I read this book, but I need a light hearted read right now! ( )
  Maryjane75 | Sep 30, 2023 |
Incredible.
  kevindern | Apr 27, 2023 |
Kathy Lazaro, a recovering addict, lives in a house she inherited. After her husband, Nick, abandons her, there is a tax issue, and she is evicted from the house. She loses her safety net and experiences many emotions related to feeling unhinged and homeless amid a mire of legalities. Her story alternates with that of Massoud Behrani, an ex-colonel of the Iranian air force who bought and inhabited “her” house in Corona, California.

Lester Burdon, a married police officer and witness to Kathy’s predicament, falls in love with Kathy and becomes determined to help her regain occupancy of her house. His infatuation with Kathy leads him to risk his job and life to support her. But unfortunately, he and Kathy demonstrate some of the darkest attitudes Americans have toward immigrants and allow their self-interests to get in the way of justice and common sense.

Behrani and his wife Nadi are incredulous when they realize how corrupt the American system appears and refuse to abandon their journey toward achieving the American dream. They’ve lost their home and status in Iran and are unwilling to release their new house without a battle. Nadi tries to reason with Kathy and is sympathetic to her cause. Her efforts are fruitless. The Behranis begin to think that Americans only respect money and proudly display status symbols such as cars but are judgmental, self-absorbed, and unlikely to respect immigrants.

All the main characters have misperceptions and are misguided in their efforts to accomplish their goals. Additionally, the American bureaucracy prohibits common decency from prevailing. As a result, each character and civil agency loses much, and the reader can intuit that there were many better ways to resolve conflicts.
See my reviews at https://quipsandquotes.net/
  LindaLoretz | Nov 20, 2022 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Dubus III, Andreprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Crepax, LucianaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Beyond myself
somewhere
I wait for my arrival
—From "The Balcony" by Octavio Paz
Dedication
For my brother, Jeb, and for my four sisters, Suzanne, Nicole, Cadence, and Madeleine.

First words
The fat one, the radish Torez, he calls me Camel because I am Persian and because I can bear this August sun longer than the Chinese and the Panamanians and even the little Vietnamese, Tran.
Quotations
"Dat's what they say of this cauntry back home, Kath: 'America, the land of milk and honey.' Bot they never tell you the milk's gone sour and the honey's stolen."
"It's almost easier being down and alone than when you're up and no one's there to share the view with you."
"...wanting for just this moment to be them again, though I never had been in the first place. Not really. Not a girl with girlfriends. Now, twenty years later, I could be their mother. But I wasn't anyone's mother, or wife. I wasn't a real girlfriend to anybody, or a friend; I was barely a sister, and whenever I thought of myself as a daughter my body felt too small and filthy to live in."
"But he didn't want to get caught up in the vortex of "should have's." Regret was Fear's big sister, the one he believed should never be let in the door."
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A recent immigrant from the Middle East--a former colonel in the Iranian Air Force--yearns to restore his family's dignity in California. A recovering alcoholic and addict down on her luck struggles to hold onto the one thing she has left'her home. And her lover, a married cop, is driven to extremes to win her love.Andre Dubus III's unforgettable characters--people with ordinary flaws, looking for a small piece of ground to stand on--careen toward inevitable conflict. Their tragedy paints a shockingly true picture of the country we live in today.

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