BYOW Book Club discussion

12. 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?

I think that there is some responsibility to be had, yes. It would be like me hanging out with a gang but not actually committing a crime. I would still be associating with people I knew were doing wrong and condoning it by being buddies with them. He knew what they were doing and yet he still associated with them.

I think his stubbornness had a great deal to do with his son's death. He put his son in the position he was in. I am not saying that it is his fault, but he did contribute.

It's hard for me to answer the first part. In some ways, it's easy to say yes as someone living in a democracy, but it's very hard for me to imagine living in that country and being a part of that type of system. It seemed like he regretted hanging out with even one person who was cruel, so I know that in his heart he wasn't an evil person.

I also feel torn about the second part of the question. I know that his love for his son was one of the things that motivated him throughout the novel, and his desire to give his son a better life and send him to college. I found myself completely blaming Lester. It's interesting to see different perspectives!!