Tiny Deaths: "Ashes to Ash"

I'm skipping over "Grappo" because I have nothing to say about it, but "Ashes to Ash" is a "charming but somewhat twisted" story and I love half of it.

The story opens by talking about Natalie's mother and her position against smoking and Natalie doesn't smoke and at this point I can't really say that I care.

And then...

She was never even remotely tempted, and so when the bus cannoned into her at forty miles an hour, and spread Natalie across the road and the central reservation, Natalie's lungs were as pink and pristine as they could be.

Brilliant.

It gets better.

Natalie is reincarnated as an ash tray. Specifically, the ash tray in her parents' house.

This is the part that I love and it is worth the rest of the story, but the opening idea never quite delivers the promise. The rest of the story is dull, it has a slight narration from Natalie-As-Ash-Tray about her mother and the changes in the family situation and if Natalie wasn't an Ash Tray the balance of the story would have nothing.

I just love the opening idea, but the rest of the story isn't there.