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January 7, 2006

House Of Sand And Fog: Book Report

File under "I saw the movie before I read the book"

So I was about to hop on the C@L - East Coast flight, more in need of a book than I should have been. Or, rather, more in need of a book I knew I would probably like that I could read on the flight. (I get real antsy about getting on long flights without ample reading materials. Antsy. Ample.) I had other books, but I worried they might not preoccupy me as well as I would have liked.

So when I saw a copy of House Of Sand And Fog sitting on a end table at a buddy's place, I knew I had a winner. (And no, I'm not so proud that I won't read books emblazoned with the "Oprah's Book Club" logo.) I had seen the House Of Sand And Fog movie and liked it. So I figured I'd be able to zip through the book in a pleasant enough way on the flight; if anything, I was kind of excited to learn a little bit more about the characters from the movie. That was the plan.

Success! The flight wasn't completely unpleasant (despite the middle seat), the book did not disappoint, and I feel a little bit closer to the Oprah zeitgeist:

Title:House Of Sand And Fog

Author: Andre Dubus III

Tags: legal disputes, drug/ alcohol problems, Iranian revolution, northern California immigrant experience, revenge, pride, real estate, widow's walk, county tax assessors, consequences of not opening snail mail.

If someone asked you to make a slide called "Key Takeaways," it would contain the following information: so when the government sends you mail, you should open it, or else you'll lose your house. And just because your boyfriend just left you and you're a recovering alcoholic doesn't mean anyone owes you anything. You still have to open the mail. Also, small-town cops are vengeful cowards who can't be trusted, especially if your skin is a different color/ you're from area of the world called "The Middle East." Also, when a cop takes you hostage, you should bide your time and not try any funny business, or else someone might get hurt.

If I Could Meet Any Of The Featured Players: It's not Kathy Nicolo, even if it's the movie version played by Jennifer Connelly. Nope. The pony to bet on here is Colonel Behrani. I'd want to ask him about what it was like to be tight with the Shah.

The Super-Interesting Passages That I'm Looking Forward To Dropping On People In Casual Conversation That I Imagine Will Make Me Sound Smart: generally speaking, I think the author did a really nice job with varying the point of view of the narration. The different voices were appropriately distinct, and really worked with the themes of the story -- essentially, that there are a lot of different ways to spin even the smallest of disputes/ conflicts, and that point of view inherently frames the perspective on the situation. It's very carefully done, and is essential to putting the meat on the bones of a relatively uneventful story. With that in mind, I thought the part where Kathy falls off the wagon and goes on her little crime spree was really well done. He nailed the whole "spiraling out of control, edging into a haze of confusion/ irresponsibility" thing. Kathy's voice was authentic and established enough by that point that "drunken narrator" actually didn't seem tacky or cheesy. It's good stuff.

What I Still Want To Know: I really should know a lot more about the details of the Iranian revolution. It's pretty irresponsible that I don't, especially given the recent unpleasantness. I'd also like to know more about what small-town cop screwed over the author, because you have to really hate cops to write a cop character as loathsome as Lester V. Burdon. Seriously. The Burdon character is so perfectly worthy of contempt that I really need to know the backstory with the author -- you don't write something so comprehensive in its disdain without having some very real experiences/ emotions on which to draw.

Are They Going To Make a Movie?: Already did, and it's pretty good. Ben Kingsley is Colonel Behrani, and he's pretty sweet. Jennifer Connelly plays Kathy Nicolo, which, after reading the book, I realize is completely bogus. Not that she isn't outstanding in the film, she's just way too good-looking to be playing this character. I mean, I guess they tried to play down her looks in the film, but they can't play them down that much.

So I Should I Read It? Oh yeah. I got pretty wrapped up in the book, even though I'd seen the movie more than once (it was on HBO for a while). I'll even admit that I was hoping that the book would have a different ending than the movie (and feel free to snicker, I deserve it) because I was enjoying all the characters so much, and it doesn't so much work out for everyone in the movie. Turns out it doesn't so much work out for everyone in the book either. Sigh. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.

In conclusion, I guess I agree with Oprah.

Posted by thatkid at January 7, 2006 4:26 PM under Book Report , Stuff To Buy

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