Leave it to Disch to create a ghost story in which the traditional situations and images of the genre are turned topsyturvy. Given its unusual thesis—that people haunt ghosts—and its mixture comedy and horror, The Businessman should generate a good discussion. The novel calls attention to its stylistic devises, so a discussion might well begin with them, emphasizing symbolism and the twisting of tradition.

1. What laws or customs of society are depicted as irrational? What makes them irrational? Are there any that appear rational?

2. How do characters rationalize supernatural events? Do their rationalizations have foundations in real-life?

3. How does imagination shape the lives of characters? What role does it play in the supernatural as well as mundane world?

4. Is there a theological basis for the spirits of those who have committed great sins going to heaven? Does it relate to the Christian...