Reading groups might find sharing their responses to Elkin's version of Disney World valuable, especially in that most of us have experience of that or other theme parks. How just is his portrait of this cultural icon? Are entertainment centers like Disney World apt metaphors for a culture many perceive as in decline? Several characters' behavior is worth discussing, and, even more than in most Elkin novels, the intense rhetoric of individual pages or sections may be profitably read and shared.

1. Is Eddy Bale's role as "England's foremost beggar" believable? Can you think of other philanthropic organiza tions whose leaders assume deferential roles to attract investment? Could such behavior become obsessive?

2. Is Colin Bible's treatment of Matthew Gale justified? Is Gale's revenge responsible for Rena's death?

3. Examine the long collective dream the children share. To what extent is each character's individual contribution to the dream a...