Status Updates From Unquenchable Fire

I can't and won't explain on this fucked up internet why this wrecked me, but damn, it did wreck me. In a beautiful, heartbreaking way.

The touch of his fingers, even through the gauze, sent a warm shudder through her body. ‘Too much suffering,’ she said.

‘Suffering’s not something you can measure. There’s no quota or upper limit. It’s just there.’

‘No lectures,’ Jennie said, and gasped in pain. ‘No goddamn lectures.’

Slightly annoyed at Pollack for writing such a cool little lesbian-coded cop in a very swanky suit with public and tender displays of affection towards her healer work partner who is a guy and wearing a dress. For something published in 1988, this has surprising levels of gender presentation fuckery and I dig it.

Really enjoying all the double meanings of words - at first I thought Tellers were like bank tellers -, then The Agency and agency, and ofc, who can forget hooker and hooker??

Procrastination is why I spent about half an hour trying to find and listen to the 'free jazz' piece inspired by this book, lol.

Damn, I really liked Maria until this absolutely out of nowhere racist bit re: Chinese food. Wtf.

But yeah, the big flaw of the book is that people of color don't seem to exist at all, or at least the book never describes any as such.

The president looking her most innocent, her most transported by divine inspiration, under a portrait of Rebecca Rainbow... That's gotta be a Ronald Reagan reference, this is, after all, 1988, even if it's an alternative world.

Well, that's a new reason for a man to hate condoms 🤣🤣🤣

I feel like this book is partly about how when you don't make any choices for yourself, the choices end up being made for you and how constricting that can be. And partly about more complicated things like belief systems and all that. But I like the simple interpretation and how it entwines with beliefs you just take on without examining them.

I really relate to Jennie and her depression... Idk, I just want her to be alright. Though it's kinda difficult now, isn't it?

Tried to explain the vibes of this to a friend, but there's no explaining, you have to read it.

Love how Pollack is changing the meaning of words in this alternate world. Like, you don't even want to know what a hooker is here 🙃

What a freaky lil book! Thought brought to you by reading about a well called 'The Founder's Urinal' that artists and poets with a creative blockage queue to drink from. (and yeah, a special status someone just peed in it)

Simultaneously hate and love that in this alternate New York there's a mention of Trump Tower, lol.

Not sure if I am willing to drag myself through 200 more pages of religious nature kitsch stories. The actual plot is very thin so far