The National Book Award finalist, Oprah Book Club pick, #1 New York Times bestseller and basis for the Oscar-nominated motion picture.

A former colonel in the Iranian Air Force yearns to restore his family's dignity. A recovering alcoholic and addict down on her luck struggles to hold on to the one thing she has left. And her lover, a married cop, is driven to extremes to win her love.

In this masterpiece of American realism and Shakespearean consequence, Andre Dubus III's unforgettable characters—people with ordinary flaws, looking for a small piece of ground to stand on—careen toward inevitable conflict, their tragedy painting a shockingly true picture of the country we live in today.

''A page-turner with a beating heart.'' -Boston Globe

''A mixture of classical tragedy perfectly imbued with film noir. . . . The work of a writer who is the real thing.'' -Baltimore Sun

''A fine and prophetic novel.'' -Los Angeles Times

''Elegant and powerful. . . . An unusual and volatile literary thriller.'' -Washington Post Book World