There There: A Novel

Tommy Orange
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There There: A Novel

Tommy Orange
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Overview

HEATHER'S PICK304 PAGESENGLISH

Promotional Details
Heather's Pick
New York Times Bestseller
A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book
Longlist, National Book Award for Fiction

“Bravura… There There has so much jangling energy and brings so much news from a distinct corner of American life that it’s a revelation… its appearance marks the passing of a generational baton.” —The New York Times

"Masterful. White-hot. A devastating debut novel." —Washington Post

“Each character is introduced and developed with a clear-eyed fidelity, empathic without sentimentality, our understanding increasing as connections are revealed, histories explored, gaps filled in. . . . At its core, There There is a novel about those gaps.” —Toronto Star

“Welcome to a brilliant and generous artist who has already enlarged the landscape of American fiction. There There is a comic vision haunted by profound sadness. Tommy Orange is a new writer with an old heart.” —Louise Erdrich, Birchbark Books
 
“A gripping deep dive into urban indigenous community in California: an astonishing literary debut!” —Margaret Atwood via Twitter
 
There There drops on us like a thunderclap; the big, booming, explo­sive sound of twenty-first-century literature finally announcing itself. Essential.” —Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings
 
There There is truly brilliant, a debut that is gritty, compassionate, and stylistically fierce. Tommy Orange has found language that bridges history and the raw heat of the now. You need to read this book.” —David Chariandy, author of Brother
 
There There is a miraculous achievement, a book that wields ferocious honesty and originality in service of telling a story that needs to be told. This is a novel about what it means to inhabit a land both yours and stolen from you, to simultaneously contend with the weight of be­longing and unbelonging. There is an organic power to this book—a revelatory, controlled chaos. Tommy Orange writes the way a storm makes landfall.” —Omar El Akkad, author of American War
 
“Orange has crafted a stunning narrative that draws his characters together in a frenetic vortex of cultural reclamation, violence, loss, and hope. There There is crucial and mighty storytelling that firmly places itself in the canon of Indigenous literature for generations to come.” —Waubgeshig Rice, author of Legacy

“A story of unforgettable characters, complex histories, and devastating transgressions. Tommy Orange is a brave new voice and There There is not just a glorious debut but a document of survival.” —Carleigh Baker, author of Bad Endings
 
There There is an urgent, invigorating, absolutely vital book by a novelist with more raw virtuosic talent than any young writer I’ve come across in a long, long time. Maybe ever.” —Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus

Overall rating: 4.266667 / 5 from 30 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

There There is a highly acclaimed novel that explores the lives of several individuals attending the Big Oakland Powwow. The book is praised for its compelling narrative about urban Indigenous experiences, focusing on themes of violence, recovery, memory, and identity.

Summary topics

  • Readability: 32%
  • Story Quality: 23%

Review topics: [read, story, book, characters, culture, written].

Review highlights

  • "A good read with likeable characters."Heather
  • "Quick read, but that's because I had to finish it."Myself
  • "Stories are important, and this is about oppression and identity of FNMI in urban settings."Yahi

Reviews

Disappointed…

"I guess I was expecting more from an award winning book. The chapters and characters felt repetitive. Nothing held my interest, as I felt there were no exciting plot events or build up."

AnnieC (2/5)

This is such an important story

"The stories in this book are so important, but I found myself having a difficult time keeping all the characters straight."

Jesslyn (3/5)

There There review

"Great story about urban Natives that we often forget about in our thinking about Natives. Shows a different perspective of what being Native means. A quote from the novel that really stuck with me is “she needs to push them harder because it will take more for them to succeed than someone who is not Native. ” This sums up what living as a Native in todays society means for all Natives. To overcome the prejudices, discrimination, racism, inter generational trauma, and history, Native people have to do more to succeed. If not, they become the embodiment of the prejudice and racist stereotypes."

TinaB (5/5)

A Must Read

"A great read! I loved the characters that we met throughout the story, I was able to develop attachments to them even though each of them only got a small portion of the story. I also thought it was really clever how they were all connected. The ending was shocking, but it definitely leaves you with a lot to think about. I learned a lot from this book and also had a great time reading it!"

Ajcoll (4/5)

Gave as a gift and was well received.

"Ordered and shipped next day, always fast service. Thanks again."

Dani (5/5)

Great reading

"I really enjoy reading this novel. Stories are important, and this is about oppression and identity of FNMI in urban settings. Effects of colonialism, harsh but a must read."

Yahi (5/5)

Brilliant literally so good

"I enjoyed the book so so much and I did a formal review on it for my Indigenous Studies class and UGH I loved it"

Cam (5/5)

Powerfully written and compelling

"There, There is the kind of books in which you read a passage avidly to know what the characters are going through, and then re-read it again to appreciate the style and skill of writing."

Emma (5/5)

A truthful aboriginal experience without the fluff

"This story was powerfully evocative from the introduction. Facts of life without bemoaning sentimentality towards injustices on the aboriginal population in north america. While the novel itself read like individual short stories of the urban indian, which ended in the only places stories carrying the burden of ancestral damage and anger can - inevitable self-destruction, there was an imbued aching sadness that was approached with acerbic wit and comedy. This novel ended in the same way as the modern indian, with a giant question mark. Wish to read more from aboriginal authors of this quality to really understand the complex emotions and hardships they as a people carry."

Karishma (4/5)

Terribly depressing. . . .

"Did not enjoy this story. Too many characters to follow and what a horrible ending. I did not understand the premise at all."

BookGirl (1/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: May 07, 2019
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 304
  • Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
  • ISBN: 9780771073038
  • Dimensions: 5.15" W x 0.67" L x 8.0" H
TOMMY ORANGE is a graduate of the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Oakland, California. His first book, There There, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and received the 2019 American Book Award. He lives in Oakland, CA.

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