House of Sand and Fog

I've been looking at this DVD in Best Buy for some time, wondering whether I should buy it, but I never have. (It's a little expensive.) When I was in Florida, I was searching for something to read in a used book store, and I found the novel that the movie was based on.

The story centers around a young woman whose family home in California is auctioned off after a county tax dispute. The house is sold to an Iranian man, for whom the profit of the deal will be a way of restoring the fortunes of his own family. The subsequent legal battle for the home turns increasingly personal and desperate, as both people misunderstand the intentions of the other.

I was hooked, even though the story was slow in parts. It definitely kept me turning the pages, and I had it finished in about three days. There were times when I didn't quite believe the motivations of the characters, but I don't think that was necessarily anything in particular but my point of view.

Now I'm sort of interested now to see how Jennifer Connelly plays the young woman's character. My opinion is that she would be a little too beautiful for the role.