Transients and Other Disquieting Stories

Library JournalHere is another collection of stories from Schweitzer ( Tom O'Bedlam's Night Out and Other Strange Excursions , Ganley, 1985). These horror tales aim for disquiet rather than terror, but they evoke neither subtle unease nor even a grosser case of the shivers. Many of the stories open promisingly, and with an interesting premise, but the carry-through just isn't there. In the title story, a man's ordinary suburban life begins to dissolve around him, for no reason. When he realizes that he is gradually disappearing from the memory of his friends and family, he becomes a street person. Eventually, he meets other ''transients'' and tells them ''Remember. That's all we have. Cling together and remember.'' No explanation for their transient state is given; no lesson is evident. Are the tales meant to illustrate what happens to men who opt out of everyday life? Who knows? The point is elusive. Disappointing.-- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Action International , Washington, D.C.