I have read very few books quite as bleak as The House of Sand and Fog, so saying that I “enjoyed” this book doesn’t seem quite appropriate. I was captivated by it. The story centers around a house and the people struggling against eachother to own it. Each chapter flip- flops from one voice, that of Persian immigrants, the Behrani family, to the other, a house keeper named Kathy Nicolo. I much prefered the story from the Behrani family, it was a mix of flashbacks of their lilfe in Iran and life as now as struggling immigrants. Kathy’s story was twinged with desperation, helplessness and too much sex (as far as I’m concerned). Read the book, then rent the movie, which won a few Oscars. It really made the story come to life.

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A review on the back of this book describes Roy’s story like an onion being peeled. This is an apt description — page by page, more of the complex family dynamic is revealed. Like an onion, there are scenes and events that are enough to make your eyes water; however, it does carry a powerful message of love and acceptance. It is a riveting read, and I would recommend it with a disclaimer –this is not a Christian novel, and is not for the faint of heart.

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Covering such heavy topics as consumerism, cloning, materialism and reincarnation doesn’t make for light bedtime reading, but it does make for an interesting story — especially when it is comprised of six seperate characters, each from a different place and point in time. Though they don’t know each other their decisions are able to influence the future of the others. Complicated, yes, but worth a read, and great for bookclub discussions.

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This book tells the story of a man called Eddie and the five people he meets in heaven. These people are all connected to his life somehow, and throughout the story, while we learn Eddie’s life story, he learns how his life has affected others, and how others have affected him. He also learns how things are not always what they seem. Although a very secular view of heaven (that it is what we want it to be), the explanations that Eddie is given are food for thought for us all.

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