See You in Paradise

Menace runs through many of the 14 stories in novelist Lennon’s (Familiar) first collection, tales of quotidian suburban existence into which he often introduces a surreal element. In “Hibachi,” the gift of the eponymous grill leads to an odd act of liberation for a frustrated wife. “Total Humiliation in 1987” features an unhappy family on vacation that finds another family’s time capsule and thereby casts a pall on their own activities. In the entertaining title story, a young man of “good qualities” successfully romances a CEO’s daughter only to find that he has made a deal with the devil. While “The Accursed Items” is a failed attempt at experimental fiction, “Weber’s Head” generates dread and humor in equal measure as a man who rents out a room in his apartment gets more than he bargains for when he takes on the proverbial roommate from hell. Three of the best stories, “Zombie Dan,” “The Wraith,” and “Portal” are postmodern riffs on classic science fiction and horror themes. Although several individual stories score, the collection as a whole strikes the same note of suburban disaffection over and over again to the ultimate point of diminishing returns. (Nov.)