Review by ashylibrarian - There There

ashylibrarian 's review for:

There There by Tommy Orange

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I finished the audiobook of There There by Tommy Orange yesterday. The stories are raw. They are real. They are emotional.

Orange tells the story of twelve (12) characters who live intertwined lives with one another. They all attend a powwow in Oakland, California, for different reasons, though their lives are not all to different from one another.

I was immediately drawn in to the ties and knots that connected each character together. Orange crafted the lives of each character so individualistically but also so very interconnectedly.

I won’t make any spoilers here, but the ending truly ripped a piece of me and left me frustrated, sad, upset, and confused. These stories may be fictional, but I can only assume there is truth behind the words that Orange wrote, sharing Native voices and stories, expanding hidden truths, and exposing unseen traumas.

Content Warnings