Brailow wrote: "The whole love affair, including the elopement of Nino and the subsequent pursuit and killing of Nachararyan, is as much of a wish-fulfillment as is the autobiography of Ali whose adolescence and youth are a curious mixture of Essad’s own and of what he would have liked them to be." Reiss also notes that Brailow also remembered an incident that recalls the moment in Ali and Nino in which Ali murders Nachararyan: "one day he pulled a knife on his tormentor and threatened to cut his throat.
Brailow wrote: "The whole love affair, including Nino's elopement and Nachararyan's subsequent capture and murder, is as much wish-fulfillment as Ali’s autobiography, which merges Essad's personal experiences with what he would have liked them to be." Reiss also observed that Brailow recalled an incident similar to the moment in Ali and Nino where Ali kills Nachararyan: "One day, he drew a knife on his tormentor and threatened to slit his throat."