There There

There, There, Tommy Orange

This was a powerful and difficult book to read that I nevertheless could not put down. Orange has centered the book in Oakland –the title refers to a Gertrude Stein quote lamenting the change in the city she grew up in and feeling there was no longer any there there – although it travels quite a bit in geography and time. It covers the interweaving story of several Native Americans, who refer to themselves as Indians, who are living in the city rather than reservations or tribes.

The characters all have varying sense of identity with their Indian-ness, the exploration or discovery of which centers much of the book. The characters include sisters whose mother had a series of abusive relationships and had taken them at one point to the occupation of Alcatraz – they have run to or away from their heritage to different degrees. Others are individuals who have been adopted by white families and are discovering themselves; others are deeply in the culture and work as part of it. Another is trying to find the culture more deeply with a story telling project for urban Indians like himself. Each of them, for one reason or another, is headed to the huge Oakland Powwow and as they move towards the Powwow together it becomes more clear how their lives are intertwined inside and outside of this one instance.

The many characters and interlocking relationships can get a bit overwhelming at times, but Orange has helpfully provided a character list at the beginning that I did refer to. And the book itself is fairly short, so as we go from character to character and storyline to storyline you’re never away from any one character for too long.

The book itself is a fascinating study on identify, belonging, and culture, on what it means to claim an identity or if you can claim it or reject it for yourself. And it was a deeply affecting story of generational trauma and finding and creating meaning in your life. The tail itself can be hard to read at times, and gets fairly emotional, but was so compelling, and the characters so real, that I could barely put it down. It’s a beautiful, if challenging, book.