Pollony Undiverted

In Short

This science fiction story follows Pollony, a young woman living in a sterile, hyper-connected future where "gridding"—instant teleportation—has rendered the world small, boring, and suffocating. Trapped in a marriage to a man who has become a dull, needy caricature of his former self, Pollony feels surrounded by a shallow culture of collectors and gossips. She eventually abandons her domestic life to pursue Latsker Smith, an antisocial drifter who drives a primitive, physical automobile. It is a sharp, atmospheric study of the desperate human need to find meaning in a world of total convenience.

The Story

Pollony lives in a future defined by "grids"—transportation nodes that allow people to materialize instantly in any home or city. Her life is a monotonous cycle of punching synthetic meals, enduring the petty quarrels of her husband, Brendel, and entertaining a rotating cast of aimless relatives and friends who drop in unannounced. Pollony once believed that marriage would provide structure and maturity, but she has discovered that Brendel is merely an insecure, unimaginative man who masks his fear with aggression and excessive eating.

The tension in their lives peaks when they encounter Latsker Smith, a man who lives in the deserted "centercity" and refuses to participate in the grid-based society. Instead, he spends his government allowance maintaining a physical automobile. Pollony is fascinated by the danger and the sheer, tactile reality of his car, which represents a stark contrast to the effortless, sensationless experience of gridding. While Brendel finds Smith boring and irrelevant, Pollony sees in him a singular, quiet defiance of their vapid culture.

Back at home, the encroachment of her social circle reaches a breaking point. Her uncle Ferren hides in her apartment to evade debt collectors, and other acquaintances constantly invade her privacy. Pollony realizes that her marriage to Brendel is just another "collection" she no longer values. When her husband and a rival, Lukia, begin to openly flirt in her own kitchen, Pollony decides to break the cycle. She formally closes her grid to public access, dismisses her husband and his hangers-on, and leaves her home behind.

Having secured her finances, she travels to centercity to find Latsker Smith. She offers to fund his travel to Boston if he will take her with him. Smith, initially indifferent, agrees when he sees she has the necessary resources. As she settles into the passenger seat of his car, she is struck by immediate, nagging frustrations—his untidy habits, his brusque manner, and his physical imperfections. However, when Smith ignores her completely, she experiences a sense of profound, cold detachment that she mistakes for the "adult" perfection she has always craved. Despite the physical discomfort of the car and her growing annoyance with Smith’s personal quirks, she commits to the journey, desperate to be anywhere but the life she has abandoned. The story ends on a note of ambiguous triumph: she has successfully escaped, but she has merely traded one form of confinement for a different, equally isolating reality.

How It Unfolds

The restless night Pollony wakes to find her husband, Brendel, demanding a meal in the middle of the night. Their interaction is marked by physical irritation and a cycle of petty, repetitive arguments that highlights the emptiness of their domestic life.

The encounter with the outsider Brendel and Pollony visit Latsker Smith, a man who rejects the grid for the tactile thrill of an automobile. Pollony is captivated by the danger of his machine and his refusal to engage in the mindless social chatter of her peers.

The domestic siege Pollony’s apartment becomes a revolving door for parasitic relatives and intrusive socialites. The constant ringing of the gridbell and the presence of persistent debt collectors symbolize her total lack of autonomy.

The final break Driven to resentment by her husband’s infidelity and her family's intrusions, Pollony asserts her independence. She formally closes her grid, dismisses her husband, and prepares to leave her old life behind.

The new journey Pollony tracks down Smith and pays for his passage, hoping to share in his detached, thrill-seeking lifestyle. As they depart, she realizes that the reality of her new companion is far less romantic than her dreams, yet she remains trapped by her own commitment to leave.

The People

Pollony A young woman who feels out of place in a world where everything is too easy. She is searching for a sense of "solidness" and maturity, but her attempts to find it lead her to devalue the people around her. She is intelligent but deeply disillusioned, ultimately choosing isolation over the suffocating social demands of her peers.

Brendel Pollony’s husband, who begins as an "aggressive" and "pugnacious" figure but devolves into a plump, insecure man. He relies on his collections and his ability to argue to feel significant. He cannot understand Pollony’s dissatisfaction, as he is perfectly content with the shallow comforts of their society.

Latsker Smith An antisocial loner who rejects the modern world’s convenience. He is defined by his car, which serves as a symbol of his autonomy. He is indifferent to Pollony’s search for meaning, treating her only as a means to fund his own mobility.

Ferren Pollony’s uncle, a parasite who uses family ties to avoid his debts. He represents the stagnation and lack of purpose that permeates their society; he lives off others and finds amusement in the misery of those around him.

In Its Own Voice

The opera routine was getting old.

This line captures the repetitive, performative nature of the arguments Pollony and Brendel engage in to fill the silence of their lives.

Everything was empty.

This reflects Pollony's internal state as she contemplates the meaningless, frictionless existence her technology provides.

She had to tear loose or she would go on and on, all her life, being nothing but--herself.

This is the core of Pollony’s crisis: she views her current identity as a failure and believes that discarding her current life is the only way to become someone "solid."

What It's Really About

The book explores the existential dread inherent in a world of total leisure. The characters live in a "time of plenty" where basic needs are met by machines, leaving them with no purpose other than to "collect" objects and people. This leads to a profound alienation, where human connection is reduced to competition, gossip, and petty power plays. Pollony’s journey is an attempt to escape the triviality of a life without stakes. The author asks whether true individuality is possible in a society that offers no resistance to the individual, suggesting that when everything is accessible and easy, the only way to feel alive is to pursue things that are difficult, dangerous, or isolating.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy mid-century science fiction that focuses on social psychology rather than space travel will find this compelling. It feels modern in its depiction of a world where constant digital connectivity—the "grid"—actually leads to deeper loneliness. The story captures the specific, sharp frustration of being young and feeling that your life is being wasted on "stupid" people and empty routines.

The writing is spare and rhythmic, mirroring the sterile, efficient world it describes. It is not a particularly "warm" story, and the characters are often difficult to like; Pollony herself is frequently cold and judgmental. However, the prose is precise, and the atmosphere of a society that has effectively "walled up" its cities is haunting. It is a short, impactful read that lingers because of its honest portrayal of the desire to run away from one's own life. While the dated slang and the specific, 1960s-era vision of the future provide a historical lens, the underlying question—what happens when we have everything we need but nothing to strive for?—remains unsettlingly relevant. Those who appreciate character-driven narratives that emphasize mood and internal tension over traditional plot will find much to consider here.