Wandering Stars
Ratings36
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings36
Average rating3.8
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“For the sake of knowing, of understanding, Wandering Stars blew my heart into a thousand pieces and put it all back together again. This is a masterwork that will not be forgotten, a masterwork that will forever be part of you.” —Morgan Talty, bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez
Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion prison castle,where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.
In a novel that is by turns shattering and wondrous, Tommy Orange has conjured the ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in There There—warriors, drunks, outlaws, addicts—asking what it means to bethe children and grandchildren of massacre. Wandering Stars is a novel about epigenetic and generational trauma that has the force and vision of a modern epic, an exceptionally powerful new book from one of the most exciting writers at work today and soaring confirmation of Tommy Orange’s monumental gifts.
Reviews with the most likes.
DNF at 61%. I felt like this had potential, but I was too distracted by all the run-on sentences and character jumping. I lost track of how many times I had to re-read a rambling sentence...phew.
I'm not quite sure what this was. Elements of generational trauma; the violence chronically inflicted on Turtle Islanders; addiction; hopelessness; searching for meaning; with occasional didactic history lessons wedged in. Characters (and chapters) had unique voices, mostly third person, occasionally first, and once second, most of them too rambling or stream-of-consciousness for me to follow clearly. It felt experimental, avant-garde, intended for people much smarter than me. The first half covered many characters over a long time span, with not enough exposure to get to know any of them. The second half was contemporary, fewer characters, tighter focus, but most of that focus was on two teenage males who were ... uninteresting.
Similar to how I encountered Tommy Orange's debut novel, I listened to the audiobook of this one - about 1/3 of which is prequel to his first work while the other 2/3 is a sequel which picks up after the tragic ending of "There There." I appreciate how Orange weaves together the history of Indians in America with the modern experiences of urban Indians - specifically Oakland, CA. The past part of the story focused on the de-humanization and de-culturalization caused by the Indian schools of the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Once the family lineage story moves ahead to the grandma of the three brothers from "There There," much of the story becomes about the opioid use and abuse of the oldest of the trio. His addiction is drawn vividly and I imagine with authenticity. Although the plot feels thinner than his first novel, Orange here has a more mature voice - especially as he breaths life in to the family at the center of the story.
I wasn't wild about the addiction side plot, but I understand it was relevant overall and relatable to those who have struggled with addiction. My only experience with it involved being raised in a home with an alcoholic who dabbled in other drugs.
I was also a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see the POV of a character I loved from the previous book, but it makes sense in retrospect. That also fits well with the title.
Overall, I liked how the book wrapped up, and appreciated the less chaotic nature compared to the first book.
