House of Sand and Fog

Written by: Andre Dubus III

Self Discovery Journey Rating: 3.5

I'm not fully convinced that this was the 'page turner' the Boston globe revered. While it was a well written book with a clear understanding of the Iranian way of life, I felt like the overall storyline was lacking. I kept waiting for an explanation as to why their situation was even happening in the first place.

Ultimately, it was the county's wrong-doing that created the whole mess to begin with but what was Lester's motivation to get involved with this recovering alcoholic/addict? And why on earth would he leave his family behind to take on this hot mess? The author doesn't revisit the random things that happen in his past as an explanation of why he's chosen to take this on and we don't even really get any closure about this character by the end of the book. We know what happens to him, but we never really find out who this person is and why he chose to get involved.

On top of that, the relationship between the Colonel and his wife was a bit confusing as well...he loved her with all his heart, but he also hits her when he feels the desire, yet over the years she 'forced' her husband to spend their money to keep up appearances. Who's in charge here? It's certainly not 50/50, it's just a very convoluted relationship.

Overall, I think if the characters had been a developed a bit more and we knew the motivation behind their involvement with the story line it may have made more sense?? I'm not so sure, but if you've read it and feel differently, I'd love to hear your thoughts!