Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - There There

Tommy Orange can definitely write - the prologue was powerful and pulled me right into the book. It was interesting to read about urban Indigenous people in the US, and I really liked the premise of the story. That being said, I felt like there was something missing, but I can't put my finger on exactly what it is - maybe there were too many characters? It took me a while to remember who was who, which I think made the story drag a bit. There are quite a few loose ends by the end of the book, which is odd because the ending itself feels extremely rushed. I know there's a sequel (which I will probably read), but I feel like the story could have been wrapped up in a single book.

If you liked this book (particularly the multiple-narrator technique), you might also enjoy Katherena Vermette's The Break (and the two follow-up novels, The Strangers and The Circle). It follows various members of a Métis community in Winnipeg and recounts the story of a crime and its aftermath through all of their perspectives.

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ladyvoltz's review

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dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I could not pick this book down to hear how the story unfolded. This book is tense and shares the reality of the dark history reflected within the current Native American experience. Incredible audio production with multiple narrators reading the different characters’ stories.

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madsreads1995's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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natashaball's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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callmeash's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What an incredible piece of writing. A story of a community that needs to be told. This was a heavy read, but absolutely worth it. The only reason this isn’t a five star for me, is because I had a hard time keeping track of all of the multiple POVs and how they all intertwined.

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leila_scola's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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amandaevans's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I did enjoy this book, don’t get me wrong. But I personally have such a hard time with books that are told from so many POV’s.

There are twelve main characters in this book. Twelve. And they all have their own POV chapters. Some people love this, but for me I have such a hard time keeping up with the different characters and timelines in a story such as this one.

I loved the reflection of the native people and the urban communities of native Americans, as I’ve never really encountered anything like this, but overall the story fell kinda flat for me. It was kinda hard to get into because of the layout. I found myself being more confused trying to keep up than anything else.

But it is an interesting, and important story overall. I think it is crucial to read and hear marginalized stories from marginalized peoples. So for that aspect, I would highly recommend.

Worth the read, but good to know the layout beforehand if you are someone that struggles with this kind of writing style.

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mandaazzi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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