DNF on page 273. I really can't fathom this one - it makes no sense to me. The setting is suburban Poughkeepsie some time after various gods/prophets/supernatural beings have manifested in the US and everyone there has become a fervent religious nut, performing incessant rituals to appease the spirits, and seeing miracles everywhere.
I can't tell if it's meant to be a satire on religion (in which case it's not satirical enough); a commentary on the position of women locked into suburban conformity (if so, not barbed enough); or just a mish-mash of random thoughts thrown together after a night smoking too much weed (seems much more likely to me).
Anyway, I kept reading up until the protagonist started begging her estranged husband to return, then my stomach revolted and I DNF it. ( )

review of
Rachel Pollack's Unquenchable Fire
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - March 5-9, 2019

To read the full review go here: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/1094406-pollack

Unquenchable Fire (copyright 1988, published 1992) takes place in the same environment as Pollack's Temporary Agency (copyright 1994, published 1995) but it's a considerably 'heavier' plot than that of Temporary Agency so I was a bit taken aback. It doesn't surprise me that this is the earlier of the 2 bks b/c it goes to substantial lengths to establish the social environment in wch the story takes place. As I wrote in my review of Temporary Agency:

"The world of Pollack's novel is a New Agey one in wch magik is the norm. Here's a taste of that:

""As a government agency, the SDA displays portraits of the president in all their offices. You know the kind — an official government photo of our nation's leader smiling blankly in his official bird costume and sacred headdress, with painted-in guardian spirits hovering in the background, like Secret Service agents." - p 70

""And I remember the incredible excitement when the president ordered the Spiritual Development Agency to drive out the Ferocious Ones." - p 5

"The SDA being a rough parallel to the FBI."

The same goes in Unquenchable Fire except that all the problems of ordinary conformist society that we're stuck w/ now are still the same in this new spiritual society. &, for me, that's one of the most remarkable things about this novel. It seems to me that the author probably has an appreciation for things spiritual &/or occult but can still have the detachment to realize that people will be narrow-minded, cowardly, unimaginative, & oppressive in ANY society, including one in wch wonders never seem to cease. In fact, the wondrous, in this case in the form of the protagonist Jennifer Mazden, will be just as suspect as it wd be in any other society in wch people cower behind their conformity to expectations of things staying stupid.

"And then there was Alice Windfall, 'poor Alice' as people called her. Alice had shown great promise in her early years, 'flying on wings of story' as the saying goes, so that all who heard her on the day she came back from college found themselves drifting into the air, like so many bright-coloured balloons, to look down upon their bodies sitting on the hillsides with the stooped shoulders and pained expressions of their daily lives. But Alice never repeated that glorious moment. Maybe it was because of the scandal when Martin Magundo, the Town Comptroller, got his soul tangled up in the blades of a helicopter hired by German tourists to look down on the recital. Though an official inquiry cleared Alice completely, and Martin Magundo's family lost their lawsuit against Alice and the New York College Of Tellers, poor Alice never did fulfil the early promise of her career." - pp 1-2

The main story takes place in Poughkeepsie, NY, a mere 17.7 mile drive from where the author lives in Rhinebeck, NY. Perhaps Poughkeepsie is the nearest 'big city' (well.. bigger than Rhinebeck). Pollack provides some Poughkeepsie mythology:

"As the teller passed each banner a voice sounded from a speaker set on the ground beneath it. Explaining the Pictures, the voices told how Poughkeepsie's original inhabitants — twelve foot giants whose skin changed colour according to the season — had carved the city out of huge cedar trees uprooted in a storm from Mexico and dropped beside the Hudson River. The city prospered until a thrity year drought, during which the people shrank to two foot seven" - p 6

I'd trust that except that she uses the British spelling, "colour", giving herself away.

This bk was copyrighted in 1988. It has a double strangeness to it created by references to things that've assumed important political importance since the time of writing:

"I've gone deaf Lightstorm thought, I've gone deaf. But he knew the emptiness was not in his drums or neurons. It lay in the street, in the cars and the people. They looked frail, almost transparent. Even the huge building so beloved of tourists, you could put a hand, a finger, right through them. His sight slid up the graish front of Trump Tower." - p 10

In 1988 who wd've predicted that the Rump of Trump Tower wd be president 30 yrs later?! That wd be as preposterous as looking at a Claes Olderburg sculpture of Mickey Mouse & imagining Mickey as president.

"Three days later Allan Lightstorm stepped onto the rooftop of the World Trade Center. A few hundred feet away the tower's twin sister hosted a network of radar, television antennae, weather monitors, and government tracking devices." - p 13

& who wd've predicted that a mere 13 yrs later these towers wd've been successfully attacked by one of the most audacious acts of guerrilla warfare of all history? Don't misunderstand, I have no admiration for this cruel murderous viciousness, it was utterly despicable, like most acts of war, but I'd never call it "cowardly" as then-president Bush did.

Pollack's fictional magical USA is as capitalist as ever:

"The candles and the caps were not a local custom. Sold all over the country in spiritual aid stores they were a regular feature of the Day of Truth, said to bring blessings for the coming year. Most of the people in Jennie Mazden's hive had bought theirs at the special display counter Sears had set up in the South Hills mall. As an extra benefit, the caps sold locally all displayed portraits of Allan Lighstorm, with his signature in glittery letters." - p 19

Our hero Jennie's troubles really start when her car becomes more personable than usual:

"'Personification,' she muttered. Some power or another had enetered her car's computer. Her goddamn car. To celebrate the Day of Truth.

"'Excuse me?' the car said.

"God, Jennie thought, I don't need this. Pick on someone else. She remembered her college course in spiritual anthropology, 'spanthro' as everybody called it. Personification, the textbooks claimed, indicated an ongoing or immanent crisis. Jennie though, I've already gone through a crisis. My husband annulled our marriage. Isn't that enough?

"The car said, 'I'm pleased to report high levels of harmony between Earth and Sky. Fine indications for long trips or expeditions.'" - pp 32-33

Myth runs thru this bk at a breakneck speed.

"With a sweep of her arm First Teller spun out the sky. A stamp of his foot created the Earth. His right eye sprang from his face to become the Sun. Her left eye became the Moon. His thousand teeth became mountains, her million hairs the trees. Milk from her breasts formed the seas, saliva from his mouth the rivers and lakes. First Teller shouted. The skin opened and the bones lifted into the sky. They became the stars and planets. They copied the Sun and the Moon, they were small but they became large when they escaped the Earth.

"Finally the Teller gave his penis to the dog, her vulva to the cat. The cat set the female organ like a gate. The dog pried open the door. He opned it and creatures came through. They crawled or flew or swam. At the end a woman and a man fell through the gate. Someone had pushed them and they fell through the gate. The gate close behind them." - pp 52-53

I'll bet you wish your bank were like that but mine is &, I'll tell you, making a simple withdrawal is a nightmare — even if you try the 2nd teller. It's kindof like getting hives at a meeting.

"'You can't leave like this.'

"'I'm only going home, Gloria.'

"'You're a Raccoon.'

"'Do you want me to wear my hat to bed? As a penance?'

"'The hive loves you.' Jennie pushed her aside and stepped out the door. As she walked along the flagstone path to the driveway she heard Gloria calling after her, 'We're not just a bunch of houses. We're an organism. We love you, Jennifer.'

"And then Al's voice booming over her. 'You're not going to shit on us and get away with it. We'll strip you from the hive. You bitch.'" - p 67

It's probably best to get the fuck outta Dodge at that 1st warning signal when they call you a raccoon.

Of course, there's a special office for storing & analyzing dreams. Our hero goes there only to learn that her dream is 'impossible'.

"'When did you dream this wonderful dream?'

"'Recital Day,' Jennie said, and wished she'd lied.

"'Yeah? Maybe you'll tell me next it was a special present from Allan Lightstorm. Look,' she said, and Jennie stepped back slightly. 'This is a holy office. Do you understand? Next time you want to play some trick, you go and take it down to the Tellers' residence. They're used to bullshit around there.'" - p 86

Possibly the greatest beauty of this bk is the way that a society centered around holy events scapegoats the only truly holy event. Imagine a society that hypothetically respects individuality & free-thinking that actually suppresses both. Oh, wait a minute, isn't that THIS society?

Jennie has a mom. Oh, well, happens to the best of us.

"'How are you, Mom?' she said.

"'Wonderful. I'm working on a new piece. It explores the sound possibilities in traditional women's work. It's called "Improvisation for Alto Saxophone, Clothespegs, and Amplified Washing Machine." How are you?'" - p 92

My own "Drying Clothes Made Entirely From Zippers" (1989) is far more important: https://archive.org/details/cd_the-cassette-mythos-audio-alchemy-cdk7_various-ar.... Tentatively, A Convenience - Drying Clothes Made Entirely From Zippers (partial cycle).flac .

More or less everyone connected to Jennie proves to have a negative effect — not necessarily b/c of malignance but simply b/c of weakness & incomprehension. The realism of the novel in its generally surreal context lies in this.

"Karen came to the door almost immediately. 'Oh,' she said when she saw Jennie, 'Hi.'

"'Are you expecting someone?'

"'No, not at all. Come in.' Wheh Jennie had stepped into the little alcove that led to the living room Karen laughed and said, 'Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting anyone, but I sure was hoping it might be this guy that I know.'

"'Oh, I'm sorry,' Jennie said. 'Should I go?'

"'No, of course not. If I didn't see anyone until Jack came I could apply for hermit status from the government. Come on, sit down. Want some coffee?'" - pp 113-114

Jennie is pregnant, w/o the known participation of a man. She doesn't know how to talk about this since the pregnancy seems to be the result of divine intervention &, of course, no one will believe her or be sympathetic. She allows Karen to believe that she's been raped by a mere human & is convinced to get an abortion. Alas, supernatural forces intervene.

"Jennie got to her feet and the camera swung back to her. She looked at the woman with the microphone. 'Walk ahead of me,' she ordered, and gestured at the open space next to the willow tree.

"The newswoman stared into the camera. 'I've just been asked to precede the anonymous visitor into the Centre of the Unquenchable Fire. Will more trees spring up? I don't know.' Gingerly she took a step, then another. The camerawoman hovered behind her. The woman said, 'I seem to have passed the barrier.'

"Jennie stepped after her. A large bush stood between her and the reporter. Small red berries gleamed among its shiny leaves. Behind Jennie the camerawoman whispered, 'Beautiful. Come on, lady, do another one.' The reporter stood on tiptoe to make sure her face and shoulders would appear above the bush. 'There you see it,' she said. 'The Great Mother herself in a militant action against one woman's abortion.'" - p 123

Some people have training bras, others have training pictures. The character "Valerie Mazdan" hasn't been introduced yet but the following gives us a hint of Things to Come:

"THE THREE SISTERS: A training Picture, told, with some unauthorized revisions, by Valerie Mazdan shortly before her expulsion from the New York College of Tellers:" - p 124

"Lily didn't answer, but instead stepped upon the sea, heading for the island where she and her sisters had grown up together. When she reached it she found all the trees gone, the rock hot under her feet and the sand beach fused into glass. A sniff of the irradiated air told her that some government or other had used the place as a test site. As she climbed the hill to the house she passed a delegation of army officers under a red and white flag with a Lunar crescent, supposed symbol of the vanished Asti. In a show of ostentatious humility the generals were crawling on their bellies; Lily had to step over them to get to the door." - p 132

The story jumps around in time, as stories often do, it doesn't just go from A to B & then collapse.

"Jennifer Mazdan dropped out of college in her junior year, after failing an exam in her major, True History. The exam paper had asked her to delineate 'the redemptive significance' of Jaleen Heart of the World's exorcism of the Pentagon. Alternatively, Jennie could have identified 'structural similarities and functional differences' between the creation of New Chicago after the northern war, and the Revolution's official starting point, the Parade of the Animals in Anaheim, California, when children in animal masks (mostly ducks and mice) ran through the streets burning the offices of the secular government." - p 153

After describing the pulsing veins in Mike's erection for 74 pages we reach this:

"At the clinic Mike surprised, and in a way, disappointed Jennie by taking full and solemn part in the ceremony of fitting her diaphragm. Afterwards, sitting in the park, she accused him of putting on a show for the tattooed nurses.

"'Sometimes you've got to put on a show,' he said.

"'What? You're not admitting — '

"He laughed. 'I don't mean because they were women.'

"'And naked. No, of course not.'

"'Naked? They were covered with pictures. They looked like subway trains. "Flowing muscles of truth." Isn't that the phrase?'" - p 163

Ok, you probably realized that I was just jokingly setting you up w/ the 74 pages sentence that precedes the above quote.

"It worried Jennie that she didn't get more excited as they travelled" - p 175

I've already pointed out Pollack's spelling of colour w/ the British "u". According to Grammarist.com:

"In American English, the inflected forms of travel take one l—so, traveled, traveling, traveler, etc. In varieties of English from outside the U.S., these forms take two l’s—travelled, travelling, traveller, etc.

"According to the ngram below, American English adopted the one-l forms in the early 20th century. Many other verbs ending in -el went through a similar transition around this time. Others, such as cancel, did not change until several decades later." - https://grammarist.com/spelling/travel/

Now Rachel Pollack is an American SF writer born August 17, 1945. Hypothetically, she wd'n't use British spelling. But I wonder if she & I partook of a similar education. I distinctly remember being taught that when a word ended in a consonant & a suffix was being added on then the consonant doubled. That wd've been in the 1960s.

NOW, according to "Proofed":

"The “doubling up” rule states that, when adding a vowel suffix (e.g., “-ing” or “-ed”) to a single syllable word that ends with one vowel followed by one consonant, we should double the final consonant." - https://getproofed.com/writing-tips/spelling-doubling-consonants-adding-suffix/

Note that the 'rule' specifies single syllable words. I don't remember that distinction being specified when I was a student but I may've just missed that. My point here is partially that these 'rules' are made by people that the users of the language are expected to accept as unimpeachable 'experts' w/o even knowing who they are. As far as I'm concerned, there's no good reason whatsoever for the "doubling up" rule to be limited to single syllable words. What's significant is not what proceeds the ending here but the nature of the ending & the addition to it.

Jennie is pregnant thru an apparent immaculate conception &..

"Auto accidents in the mid-Hudson valley declined in the first two weeks of September by seventy-five per cent. The state police could give no explanation for this surge of safe driving. The Dutchess County sheriff's office, however, described it as a sign of heavenly sanction brought on by Sheriff Lauren's programme of compulsory prayer and once-a-week fasting for all deputies." - pp 215-216

Whenever I read associations of character w/ colors I imagine the associations tp be derived from Rudolph Steiner but, of course, that's not necessarily the case.

"No, she thought, do it now. She stripped off her wet clothes and marched with them to the bathroom where she dumped them on the floor. In the bedroom she dressed in an old jogging suit, red, for action, and tied her short hair in a cotton scarf, yellow, for mechanical thoroughness. She went from room to room opening windows, ending in the kitchen where she fished out a filthy green duster (green for new life) and then marched with it back to the living room." - p 225

In Changing Minds' online "The Meaning of Colors" we get:

red = warmth, love, anger, danger, boldness, excitement, speed, strength, energy, determination, desire, passion, courage, socialism

yellow = attention-grabbing, comfort, liveliness, cowardice, hunger, optimism, overwhelm, Summer, comfort, liveliness, intellect, happiness, energy, conflict

& green = durability, reliability, environmental, luxurious, optimism, well-being, nature, calm, relaxation, Spring, safety, honesty, optimism, harmony, freshness

( http://changingminds.org/disciplines/communication/color_effect.htm )

Those associations aren't particularly surprising but they don't completely jive w/ those in this novel. Red as a "socialist" color is obvious enuf, & green for "Spring" is also obvious. But what's obvious about yellow for "mechanical thoroughness"? & does this make the color associations of Mazden's culture arbitrary? I wd detest living in the world of this novel — even more than the world that I'm reading the novel in. People believe in arbitrary things & act as if they're facts set in stone. Their minds are too uncritical, too restricted by patterns imposed.

"She wondered if the Agency wanted to turn her into a secularist. The thought made her shudder." - p 226

"The duster dropped from her hand. What was it like being a sec? What was it like in the Old World? How could people ignore the forces that make everything happen? 'God makes the world go round.' That wasn't just a song. It was true. It was just common sense. She quoted, out loud, Adrienne Birth-of-Beauty's 7th Proposition. 'Gravity is a story told by the Sun.' How did they think their lawns grew? By accident? How did they think the atoms in a molecule held together? By written contract?" - pp 226-227

To read the full review go here: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/1094406-pollack ( )

Meaningless gestures
"we remember the Founders"
in name, not substance. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2732394.html

I thought this was great. It's set in a near-future world where spiritual forces have taken over, for good and ill, and Jenny from Poughkeepsie becomes pregnant from a dream. It is somewhere between Philip K. Dick and Ted Chiang, though closer to Dick, with a distinct slant of feminist spirituality. There is a lot of vivid language and exploration of the underlying myths (which may be real) of Jenny's world. It's not at all the sort of thing one associates with Arthur C. Clarke's writing (on which more soon) but it is definitely in line with his intellectual interests in later years, and I can see how the judges might have decided to give it the nod. ( )

What would you do if you had a visitation and unwillingly found yourself pregnant with the Saviour of the World?

Pollack's setting - a modern day America with an animist religion reminds one of Ted Chiang's story 'Hell is the Abscence of God' and T. F. Powys earthy, almost pagan Christianity. ( )