Behrani tells his son, "Remember what I've told you of so many Americans: they are not disciplined and have not the courage to take responsibility for their actions. If these people paid to us the fair price we are asking, we could leave and she could return. It is that simple. But they are like little chidren, son. They want things only their way" [p. 172]. How accurate is his perception of Americans? How well does it apply to Kathy and Lester? Does this apply to Behrani himself?
Should Behrani be held responsible, on some level, for the crimes and excesses of the Shah's regime? Is he responsible for Esmail's fate?
What justification does Behrani have for strangling Kathy? For killing his wife? For taking his own life?
What kind of treatment is Lester getting in jail, considering the fact that he is a policeman?
To whom has the colonel left all his possessions, including the house on Bisgrove Street? Why is this such an ironic twist in the plot?
Why does Colonel Behrani put on his military uniform at the climax of the novel?
What is Kathy thinking about while watching the house out of her hospital window? How are these seemingly unimportant people significant to her?
Why has Kathy avoided telling her mother and brother the truth about her situation? Does their meeting at the end of the novel resolve any of Kathy's difficult feelings about her place in the family?
What do you find most disturbing about the novel's denouement? If you find yourself imagining an alternate ending, what would that ending be?
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