House of Sand and Fog, the debut work by Andre Dubus III, is an award-winning, best-selling novelfound on almost every reading list, including Oprah's Book Club. But the questionyou should be asking is why, because it is the worst story I have everread.
House of Sand and Fog tells the story of two unrelated individualswhose lives become intertwined through the illegal sale of a home.
Mr.Behrani, a money-obsessed Iraqi immigrant, buys a property at auction and intendsto repair and sell it for profit. Kathy Nicolo, however, will go to desperatemeasures to reacquire her house, even if it means using the family ashostages.
Yes, this sounds like an interesting plot and even has greatpotential if it weren't for unimaginable twists and attempts at revolting joltsof entertainment.
As the novel progresses, each chapter becomes less andless realistic. At some points, I'm not sure if the ideas are even plausible. Itleaves you knowing that this could never happen. Then, there is Kathy's sex lifeand abuse of drug and alcohol every other chapter, which I can only explain asDubus's attempt to entertain those who are drawn to stories with thoughtlessplots.
Obviously, House of Sand and Fog is not something I would recommendto anyone and would like to see it removed from book lists since I have not foundanyone who liked the novel, especially the conclusion, if there is one. I regretreading it.
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