Obsession

Each novella in this collection documents a different type of obsession, and these obsessions range from life-fueling and beautiful to demented and unhealthy. In “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” Craig grows up just as the internet is coming into being. When he is 11, he becomes obsessed with getting an iPhone. After he does, he decides to get one for his elderly luddite neighbor, Mr. Harrigan, hoping that the old man will get the same sort of joy out of it that Craig does. But Mr. Harrigan becomes obsessed with his phone during the last bit of his life. When he dies, he is buried with his phone, and his spirit lingers within it, reaching out when Craig calls in order to extract vengeance on those who have hurt his young friend. Craig eventually decides to give up the lure of using Mr. Harrigan’s phone as a...