2020: Just finished. Whoa.

The big takeaway that the author wants you to leave this book with is that Native American identity is not homogenous. There are many types of Indians and they live and experience the world in many different types of ways, just like any other group of people. However, this could have been better supported by a greater variety in the stories.

Bless the editor that insisted on Orange including a "Cast of Characters" in the front of the book, for I used it many times. Honestly, I could not keep track of who everyone was. The book really didn't engage me until the stories started to overlap. I thought Orange took too long to get to that point; I actually checked in with a friend of mine who read the book to make sure that they were all going to intersect at SOME point.

I also found it very difficult to keep track of everyone's ages. Perhaps because Opal was a young grandmother? Or perhaps because her narration started when she was much younger, so I got stuck thinking about her as a child? I was also confused by Edwin and Blue's ages (they were in their 40s apparently?!)

The ending dimmed the overall pace and cadence of the novel. It felt like a rollercoaster that was slowly gaining and building speed, only to crest the top of the track, speed down the hill, and crash upon impact. The vibe felt like the author wasn't sure how to end the book, so he decided to just kill everyone. Very Hamlet of him (seriously - there might be fewer people alive at the end of this story than in Denmark).

That all being said, if you're looking to gain insight into what issues and challenges Native Americans face in a modern setting, this is a rich and detailed account. The writing is solid and the descriptions intense, even if the characters can be over the top and the plot devastatingly bleak.