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A review by evavstheworld
There There by Tommy Orange
3.5
3.5 stars
“We all been through a lot we don’t understand in a world made to either break us or make us so hard we can’t break even when it’s what we need most to do.”
Orange’s debut novel is a hard hitting one, presenting the interconnected lives of a cast of Native Americans struggling with poverty, mental illness, familial trauma, belonging, body image, addiction, community. It explores many aspects of the lives of people trying to exist in the land taken away from them. It is riddled with deep thoughts and emotions that it often made me stop in my tracks and reflect.
I don’t think I’ve understood the ending though and felt it quite abrupt compared to the rest of the book. Some of the many characters blended in together for me, but maybe just because of the audio and the same narrators being used for multiple characters.
Overall, an important read for anyone wanting to understand the Native Americans and their communities, real life struggles, and also reflect on what it means to belong.
Finally, yet another quote which made me ponder…
“If you were fortunate enough to be born into a family whose ancestors directly benefited from genocide and/or slavery, maybe you think the more you don’t know, the more innocent you can stay, is a good incentive not to find out, not to look too deep, to walk carefully around a sleeping tiger. Look no further than your last name. Follow it back and you might find your line paved with gold, or beset with traps.”
“We all been through a lot we don’t understand in a world made to either break us or make us so hard we can’t break even when it’s what we need most to do.”
Orange’s debut novel is a hard hitting one, presenting the interconnected lives of a cast of Native Americans struggling with poverty, mental illness, familial trauma, belonging, body image, addiction, community. It explores many aspects of the lives of people trying to exist in the land taken away from them. It is riddled with deep thoughts and emotions that it often made me stop in my tracks and reflect.
I don’t think I’ve understood the ending though and felt it quite abrupt compared to the rest of the book. Some of the many characters blended in together for me, but maybe just because of the audio and the same narrators being used for multiple characters.
Overall, an important read for anyone wanting to understand the Native Americans and their communities, real life struggles, and also reflect on what it means to belong.
Finally, yet another quote which made me ponder…
“If you were fortunate enough to be born into a family whose ancestors directly benefited from genocide and/or slavery, maybe you think the more you don’t know, the more innocent you can stay, is a good incentive not to find out, not to look too deep, to walk carefully around a sleeping tiger. Look no further than your last name. Follow it back and you might find your line paved with gold, or beset with traps.”