House of Sand and Fog - Andre Dubus > Reviews > Excellent

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Outstanding
Characters	Outstanding
Listenability	Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?	Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Excellent

Advantages:	Real - life characters in heart - wrenching situations
Disadvantages:	Possibly a bit wordy

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

What a masterpiece! This book had me gripped from the first page to the last.
I'm not sure what category I'd put it in - I suppose it was a bit of the thriller/mystery.
The wonderful achievement in this book is that the reader is drawn equally to the two protaganists. Two people are locked into an emotive legal battle for a house, and the author has so skillfully divided his attention that we are unable to decide who should win the case.
The basic plot is that a house is sold at auction as a mortgage default, but there is an error in the paperwork and the wrong house gets sold. So who is in the right? The person who owns the house originally, but stupidly agrees to move out while it is all sorted out, or the person who has bought it in good faith and moved in?
This is a book full of passion, but not romatic passion - passion for family, for what is right, and for heritage. It is also a story of compassion and understanding. It shows us that judgements are not always black and white. What happens when both parties are in the right?
This story is a classic tragedy, where events overtake honest everyday people. It continues to worsen throughout the book, and there is no way to stop If this was a film, you would be shouting 'No!!'at the screen.
Unbelievably good.