mauracait 's review for:

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

4.25

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I was halfway through this book when I realized it was a continuation of the story of the family introduced in There, There. If I had read that first, I probably would have understood better and wouldn’t have been so confused by what was happening when I got the present day chapters. I had some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I found it confusing and hard to follow because of all the time jumps and switches between the points of views of different characters. At the same time, I appreciated the context that Orange added to the story by including the perspectives of the generations who came before. I had more compassion for characters struggling with addiction and depression because I understood that they were affected by the generational trauma of violence, displacement, and parental loss. While the writing was beautiful, the book was slow-paced and a heavy read.