Omniphobia: Stories

The four stories and three novellas in this first collection of short works by novelist, poet and critic Dillard are all strange mixtures of humor and horror. Dillard's writing has an eerie resonance, whether he's describing a short-order cook driven to murder by overexposure to fat people at their feed, or gently spoofing Southern fiction and Southern manners in a story about a boy named Shirley and his girlfriend, Roy. Dillard is particularly adept at cutting close to the bone; he conveys the psychological struggles and emotional stalemates in which his characters find themselves with an accuracy than can make the reader wince. Cotswaldo, the protagonist of ``The Bog,'' is a scientist who studies nature with the ultimate goal of proving that intellect can vanquish instinct. His transparent efforts to convince himself that he is not a creature of instinct--and his disappointment with his fellow humans who so obviously are--creates a feeling of agonizing embarrassment for the misguided naturalist. When Cotswaldo realizes the error of his beliefs, we share his sense of release if not his sense of hope. Similarly, the title story tells of a reclusive writer who lives in a world drastically circumscribed by his fears. Dillard re-creates this nightmarish existence fed by memories and obsessions, but he allows glimmers of real, or more normal, life to shine through, thereby intensifying the impact of the story's tragic ending. Occasionally Dillard goes unpleasantly far in his lack of regard for good taste. Fans of scatological humor will be the best audience for some of his selections. (Mar.)