Discuss the deployment of foreshadowing in the novel. When is it used? How does it reflect the thematic concerns of the narrative?

Compare the characterization of Bahman and Walter in the novel, and Roya’s relationship with each. What do these relationships suggest about the nature of love and marriage?

Consider the concept of “forehead-written fate” in the novel. What are the roles of fate and agency in the novel? In what ways do the characters control their own lives, and in what ways are they impacted by external forces?