Brie
- Ensemble cast with interconnected stories across generations
- Strong writing made each character feel whole, gave them stakes that mattered
- The ending is sad but ties the stories together beautifully
Through a cast of many characters, Tommy Orange reflected on a number of big heavy topics in this book. I think that the ensemble cast was necessary. Otherwise, it would be far too difficult for a single character to believably encounter so much heavy stuff in such a relatively short book. To illustrate what I mean, the book touches on inter-generational trauma, drug addiction, gentrification, domestic abuse, alcoholism, gentrification, visibility and Native identity. That's a lot for a book that spreads the stories of these twelve people across 304 pages when in hardcover form.
I read There There in a few sittings on my PocketBook in February 2026. I chose this book when looking for something to follow Lonesome Dove's portrayal of Native characters.
As I read, it was hard to keep track of who's who at times. The context was often enough but I did find myself referencing the chapter listing and earlier chapters in order to refresh my memory a few times. The multitude of characters gave the author the necessary structure to say what he wanted to say with this book.
The discussion questions in the back of the book are definitely worth a look -- whether or not you read this with your book club.
📢 Recommending the book
I would understand someone describing this book as disjointed. I'd disagree with that assessment: the scenes are blended together beautifully. I would recommend reading this in a few longer sittings in order to better appreciate the relationships between the characters.
➡️ What to read next
In the afterword, I learned how helpful Sherman Alexei was to Tommy. That makes me want to re-read Ten Little Indians.
Originally posted at read.brie.dev.
- Ensemble cast with interconnected stories across generations
- Strong writing made each character feel whole, gave them stakes that mattered
- The ending is sad but ties the stories together beautifully
Through a cast of many characters, Tommy Orange reflected on a number of big heavy topics in this book. I think that the ensemble cast was necessary. Otherwise, it would be far too difficult for a single character to believably encounter so much heavy stuff in such a relatively short book. To illustrate what I mean, the book touches on inter-generational trauma, drug addiction, gentrification, domestic abuse, alcoholism, gentrification, visibility and Native identity. That's a lot for a book that spreads the stories of these twelve people across 304 pages when in hardcover form.
I read There There in a few sittings on my PocketBook in February 2026. I chose this book when looking for something to follow Lonesome Dove's portrayal of Native characters.
As I read, it was hard to keep track of who's who at times. The context was often enough but I did find myself referencing the chapter listing and earlier chapters in order to refresh my memory a few times. The multitude of characters gave the author the necessary structure to say what he wanted to say with this book.
The discussion questions in the back of the book are definitely worth a look -- whether or not you read this with your book club.
📢 Recommending the book
I would understand someone describing this book as disjointed. I'd disagree with that assessment: the scenes are blended together beautifully. I would recommend reading this in a few longer sittings in order to better appreciate the relationships between the characters.
➡️ What to read next
In the afterword, I learned how helpful Sherman Alexei was to Tommy. That makes me want to re-read Ten Little Indians.
Originally posted at read.brie.dev.
