Verging on the Pertinent - Carol Emshwiller Book Review

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Review Summary

This 1989 collection of stories is spare in style but rich in imagination. Emshwiller tries to minimize character, plot, dialogue, and many other conventionalities of storytelling; there's something Kafka-esque in her largely first-person tales of a woman deserting her husband to live in a cave with a bear ("Yukon"), a goddess creating the perfect man to worship her ("If Not Forever, When?"), or human females finding themselves making do in an alien culture ("Escape Is No Accident" and the title story). There's even a tale in which Rochester's first wife from _Jane Eyre_ flirts with Joseph K. outside the castel ("Expecting Sunshine and Getting It"), and another in which a giant woman who the World Trade Center with a male executive in hand ("Queen Kong," naturally). Very distinctive work!
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of Verging on the Pertinent

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%

Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - destined love (dream or prediction) - falling in love with the enemy
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - feelings of a human growing up among aliens - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group
Human/magical couple? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - 20th century - near future (later in 21st century) - current (early 21st century)
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society - humans in a contemporary society - inhabited by friendly aliens
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - impregnation/reproduction - description of breasts - descript. of private male anat.
How much dialogue? - little dialog

Most similar books to Verging on the Pertinent
Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn
Haltia and the Third Planet by D. Judson Hindes
The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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