My rating: 3.5-4/5 (I'm torn).

This book begins with Kathy, a recovering addict who has somewhat recently been abandoned by her husband who is also an addict, being evicted from her home for supposedly not paying taxes. A cop helping with the eviction named Lester becomes instantly drawn to Kathy and helps her move out. The house is quickly sold for auction to the Behranis, a family of Iranian immigrants who had everything when Colonial Behrani worked for the military in Iran (I think? I'm not super up on the history here) but lose it all and are forced to flee when the Shah is overthrown. When he sees the house, he believes he can buy it, sell it for a profit, and start to give his family a better life.

The author really makes you feel for both sides here. It turns out that Kathy didn't actually owe taxes, and it was a clerical error by the county. However, Behrani legally bought the house. He doesn't want to just return the house to the county after moving his family and with a better life still in reach.

The conflict between Kathy and the Behranis eventually reaches a boiling point that I didn't exactly see coming and had me up late reading to see what happens. This book is emotionally charged, heartbreaking, and beautifully written.

My main complaint with the book is Kathy's character. She's a bit too flawed for me - she felt really sorry for herself and never did the logical or smart thing, in my opinion. She lies to her family and falls back into addiction. It was hard for me to like her, so I found myself rooting for the Behranis even though Kathy hadn't done anything to lose the house. Kathy's character is what makes me question if this book was really 4 stars for me.

Making this review spoilery now so I can express my feelings better.

I was so pissed that Kathy lived. What was the point? I would have felt bad for her in the end if she had died, but instead she lived while everyone else died? I don't really understand. And having her family come at the end and just her being rude and feeling sorry for herself more? What's the point? I really don't get it. Why did the author have her survive? I feel like you're supposed to feel for both sides, like you're supposed to feel like she's desperate and didn't do anything to deserve dying, but I would have felt more bad for her if she had died. And then in the end they act like she shouldn't have to go to jail, but she didn't let the family go when she had the chance so she's just as guilty. This book was better for me when I thought she was dead.