“Powerful. . . . There There has so much jangling energy
and brings so much news from a distinct corner of American life that
it’s a revelation.” —The New York Times
Tommy Orange’s shattering novel follows twelve characters from
Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all
connected to each other in ways they may not yet realize. There is
Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and working to make it back to the
family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, who is pulling his life back
together after his uncle’s death, has come to work at the powwow to
honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil has come to perform
traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of
voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling
with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and
spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an
instant classic, There There is at once poignant and
laugh-out-loud funny, utterly contemporary and always unforgettable.