Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - There There

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

caitmariereads's review

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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marissasa's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I always love a story where we get multiples POVs, and especially if they are people whose individual narratives all connect to each other by the end. This book delivered that along with a lot of emotional and heavy truths about Native Americans' experiences in the past and in the modern time. The essays in the beginning really set the tone for the book and leave you breathless. I liked the exploration of many different themes in this book, with a big emphasis on identity, family ties, and participating in your culture. While all these things were done well and the buildup to the ending was anxiety-filled and tense as intended, the book was also on the short side which resulted in a lot of the 12 characters who were given a POV not getting as much development as they could've. Some were fleshed out and we got to dive in and hear their backstories, while others felt more like a toe dip in the pool only getting to the surface level. Regardless, this book will keep you engaged and make you feel things while learning about life for the indigenous people who live in a land that is theirs but also stolen from them.

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A beautifully written book with so much feeling, each character’s story is told so vividly and I loved how they were all interconnected, as well as how the story gradually built to a massive climax at the end. I’ve never read any Native American literature before and I’m really glad I picked this one up as it’s a really eye-opening read. I do wish I’d read it in print though rather than as an ebook as I would’ve benefitted from being able to flip back to the character index, since with so many narrators it was tricky to understand who’s who at first.

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ridern2002's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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caittothelin's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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dinipandareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 stars rounded up.

This isn't an easy book to review and there's nothing I can say that others haven't already said and done so much better than I ever could, too. This is a highly-lauded piece of literary fiction and part of me understands why but maybe this book was just too smart for me because I often struggled to really "get" it. I empathised with many of the characters and I wound up spilling tears over them by the end but, at times, it was hard to feel fully immersed in the story and to grasp what the author was trying to share. Perhaps it was the writing style that also didn't entirely work for me as we switched from third-person and first-person perspectives almost every other chapter. Add to that the wide array of characters and shifting timelines as we get their life stories from childhood to adulthood, and it wasn't always easy to keep track of who's who and what's what. That said, I loved seeing how each character's life intersects with another and I think Orange masterfully weaves together the fabric of their stories to create one big, captivating, yet heartbreaking tapestry.

Although the novel discusses the beauty, pride and fortitude of the native community, it is not a happy story. It explores weighty subjects including race, colonialism, intergenerational trauma, identity and belonging, mental health, abuse, and addiction. There is a lot of power behind the author's writing and although each character's narrative was difficult to read it also emphasised the need and importance of their stories being heard. Some of the quotes in this hit so hard and I think one of them sums this story up rather perfectly:

“The tragedy of it all will be unspeakable, the fact we’ve been fighting for decades to be recognized as a present-tense people, modern and relevant, alive, only to die in the grass wearing feathers.”

How utterly devastating. 🥺

Ultimately, while it wasn't always smooth sailing, I'm glad that I didn't give up on this because it was rewarding to work through. I can see why it's so well-loved and I'm glad to have finally read it. I don't doubt that although it may not feel like it right now, this will be a story I'll continue to think about long after I put it back on the shelf.

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ruthypoo2's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Quite a powerful story about the life experiences of several Native American people living primarily in the Bay Area city of Oakland, California. There are multiple points of view from both men and women of different ages, from older youth to younger elders.

Each character in the book has a very powerful voice and the author, Tommy Orange, throughout the course of the storyline, exposes the common threads shared by the indigenous community and the almost predictable life struggles they will encounter. The book also dangles a carrot for the reader in knowing the story will eventually culminate in most of the main characters attending an upcoming powwow. The question is, how might they interact and what good outcomes can be expected?

I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience with this book. The author’s writing style is vivid and in my opinion, doesn’t have a lot of filler. The characters are relatable and I appreciated the history incorporated into the story. Most of the Native American authors and books I’ve read up to this point have been set on tribal land and take place within the tribal community only. While I’m aware of tribal communities and businesses in the desert areas of California, Arizona, and Nevada, my eyes are now opened to more urban centers like Oakland.

I listened to the audiobook and very much enjoyed the clear and crisp delivery of the ensemble of narrators that includes Darrell Dennis, Alma Cuervo, Kyla Garcia, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett.

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