Calls from the Granite State: Stories

New Hampshire, ""that little state that's shaped like a harp,"" is the setting for this slim collection of short stories by Merrill, who died in 1994 at the age of 38. The author has a knack for describing the little quirks of family relationships and the stifling methods families use to make restless members remain at home. In these nine stories, children return home at their parents' request (""The Smart One in the Family""), and parents leave for good, assuming new identities in a new town hours before their grown children arrive (""The Disappearance""). Odd things happen to these working-class protagonists, or nothing happens at all. Many of these stories have a similar tone, narrated by a speaker who is mildly alienated but unable to cut himself loose from his native environment. Ironically, New Hampshire and its people come to life most fully in the only entry set outside of New England, ""A Couple of Granite Staters Bump into One Another,"" in which a business traveler in San Francisco has an unusual encounter with someone from his past. The story, rich in detail (""tattoos as bright as Sunday funnies""), is touching, ironic and the most accomplished piece of writing in this sober, earnest collection. (May)