House of Sand and Fog

House of Sand and Fog – Andre Dubus III

Kathy Nicolo is a recovering alcoholic whose husband has left her. Depressed and barely holding her life together, she has been ignoring her mail. Then one morning, sheriff’s deputies arrive to evict her from the small house near San Francisco that her father left her, because of a tax bill she does not actually owe. Within days, the county auctions the house.

The buyer is Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani, a former officer in the Iranian air force under the Shah, who fled to America after the revolution. Behrani has been working menial jobs while pretending to his family and community that he still lives in comfort. He sees the house, bought at a fraction of its value, as his chance to restore his family’s fortunes and give his son a future.

House of Sand and Fog, by Andre Dubus III, tells the story of the conflict that follows. Kathy is desperate to get her home back, while Behrani refuses to sell it back for anything less than its market value. Kathy turns for help to Lester Burdon, a married sheriff’s deputy who begins an affair with her and decides to take matters into his own hands.

Told in alternating chapters from Kathy’s and Behrani’s perspectives, the novel builds slowly and relentlessly toward tragedy. Dubus explores pride, desperation, misunderstanding and the American dream, giving each character depth and humanity.

A finalist for the National Book Award and adapted into a film, House of Sand and Fog is a powerful and heartbreaking read. It contains violence, suicide and substance abuse.