Although Our Father reads easily enough, it is not a book that many people would pick for sheer entertainment. Readers are likely to choose it because of its feminist outlook, its theme of incest, or its author's stature as a best-selling author taken seriously by at least some of the literary establishment. For these reasons, a discussion may draw a very mixed group of readers. The leader may want to consider in advance whether a "personal is political" slant would be workable, and in fact whether he or she is prepared to handle the high emotional pitch that could result.

Most readers will be expecting discussion of the book's feminist subtext as well as pure character and plot analysis. In fact, they are so interwoven that it would be hard to treat the latter elements alone. One fruitful approach might be to discuss it along with...