Two People, One Story

If you're looking for financial advice, turn away now. Recently, I have been reading a book called The House Of Sand And Fog by Andre Dubus III. This book is very interesting. We are first introduced to a man named Behrani. Behrani is an ex-colonel from the Iranian Air Force who immigrated to America. He has a wife, Nadereh, and a son, Esmail. They live in an upscale apartment in San Francisco, California. Behrani works as a trash collector during the day and a cashier at a convenience store at night. One day, he decides he is tired of the way he is living his life. He decides to purchase a home for $45,000, all of his family's money. This brings me to the next protagonist, Kathy. She is a recovering drug addict, and her husband recently left her,  She is living by herself in a home that has been in her family when she starts getting letters regarding unpaid taxes. She brushes this off as a mistake for several months, until one day the police come to her house. They inform her that they are seizing the property due to business taxes not being paid despite the fact that there is no business there. She is approached by one of the officers, Deputy Lester Burdon, who wants to help her get this issue resolved. Behrani, also, tends to have anger issues. One time he smashes his wife's cassette player, and another slaps her in the face with so much force that she falls off the chair and is left weeping on the ground.


One really interesting thing that occurs in this book is flashbacks. They happen to both characters, but I personally like Behrani's more. Behrani has flashbacks to his days as a colonel in the Iranian Air Force, and Kathy has flashbacks to her time spent with her ex-lover, Nicky. Not only do they add in background information, they do it in a way that is easy to understand, They don't make it very confusing by having it go in and out suddenly and they don't have it boring to the point where it just lists off facts. It add not only to the story but the whole reading experience.


So far, I have given only facts. Now, here are my predictions. I think that it is very obvious the house Behrani bought was Kathy's, but I could be wrong. I also think that, if things keep on going the way they are, Behrani and Nadereh will separate or even divorce, which will definitely put a fork in the road with Behrani's plan. Again, these are nothing but predictions, and mine at that.