And my friend from college, her father was an Iranian colonel and he did know the Shah, and they did terrible things. I remember seeing him fumble in the United States, couldn't find a job, and ended up working at a convenience store. This was a man who used to be standing with kings and queens. And I thought that was incredibly dramatic. And then four years later, there's the book.
People seem to have very different reactions to the book and the characters.
I like the ambivalent responses, because I try to make the characters real. None of us are black and white. We're also a cacophony. I would prefer people to look at it that way than to easily identify the villain and the good guy. I don't look at the world that way.