Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
A Strange Dream
Because Bobby Phillips, the narrator of Things Not Seen, wakes up in such abnormal circumstances, the whole tone of the book is that of being stuck in a strange dream. It's not quite nightmarish, but it is pretty absurd and disconcerting.
Even describing something as simple and commonplace as going to the restroom becomes a strange event:
I unlock my door and head down the hall. I'm still shaky on my feet – I've got no visual fix on my own place in space. The robe helps, but I really miss my legs and feet. And here's the bathroom report: Most people go number one or number two. I go number three and number four. The sounds and the smells are very familiar, but there's nothing to see.
So it's like this: Something like a glass of water or a bowl of Cheerios starts out normal, but after it goes through me, it won't reflect light. It's too weird. (2.37-38)
Poor Bobby, he can't even go to the restroom without thinking about his invisibility and what it means. And the oddness of the invisibility carries throughout the book; Bobby never quite gets used to it, and the reader isn't allowed to forget how very weird this all is.