Tommy Orange There There
Books,  Writing TIps

Reading: Excellent & Enlightening

There There by Tommy Orange

There is an inordinate burden placed on own voices literature. Due to a lack of true representation in the market, these works are expected to portray an entire population accurately (which is of course, impossible). The demands own voices authors face are much higher and the pressure to present the perfect story greater. There There by Tommy Orange fulfills all those demands. That’s why it’s brilliant. Well, that’s one reason of many.

Reading most quality novels is like observing a grand metropolis from a great height, you see it all unfold in a magnificent tapestry. Reading this work, however, is like observing that same metropolis from a great height with powerful binoculars. Not only can you perceive the city from horizon to horizon, but you can also pinpoint the many components that drive the city’s life force.

The metropolis analogy fails in one aspect though, it makes the experience sound pleasant. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading There There, it is a stylistic treasure. An absolute master class in the craft of writing as Orange changes points of view like a millennial changes makeup brands: often and with specific intent. But it is a book of harsh realities laid bare, not for shock value but for the reader’s edification. You will experience terror, heartbreak, regret, fear, anxiety. And when you close the book for the final time you will be better for it.

“A bullet is a thing so fast it’s hot and so it’s mean and so straight it moves clean through a body, makes a hole, tears, burns, exits, goes on, hungry or it remains, cools, lodges, poisons. When a bullet opens you up, blood pours like out of a mouth too full.” Interlude pg. 141

If you let it—and you should, let it—this book will tear through you like the bullet described in Orange’s Interlude chapter. It will leave in its wake, rather than destruction, a better understanding. Let’s not make the mistake of assuming There There speaks for every Native person’s experience. It only tells the stories Orange has chosen to tell. As a narrative, the book is complete in its portrayal of a community. The characters deliver such an impact that I'm loathed to call them ‘characters’. They are people, real and alive. Each person tells their familiar story with a singular voice painstakingly created by the author through varied word choice, sentence structure, and cadence.

“The train emerges, rises out of the underground tube in the Fruitvale district, over by that Burger King and the terrible pho place, where East Twelfth and International almost merge, where the graffitied apartment walls and abandoned houses, warehouses, and auto body shops appear, loom in the train window, stubbornly resist  like deadweight all of Oakland’s new development. Just before the Fruitvale Station, you see that old brick church you always notice because of how run-down and abandoned it looks.” Thomas Frank pg. 222

The city of Oakland is also real and alive in this work. In the merry-go-round of chapters that make up the book, Oakland is a comforting constant. As the reader sees the city through different eyes it creates, not only a powerful sense of place but a fantastic opportunity for characterization. Some wear their home like a badge of honor, others revel in the intimacy of truly knowing a place, while some love it because it’s all they know. With every new description, Orange pulls us closer, exposing the secrets of his hometown.

“I brought home out-dated racist insults from school like it was the 1950s. All Mexican slurs, of course, since people where I grew up don’t know Natives still exist. That’s how much those Oakland hills separate us from Oakland. Those hills bend time.” Blue pg. 198

While at first disorienting, the shifting point of view allows the reader to engage in a larger account. One which is not happening to one person or one family, but which affects an entire people. As Orange laces the narratives together, a clear and predictable climax appears. Rather than cause me to lose interest I found the inevitability of the story’s pinnacle prevented me from putting the book down. I had to find out as soon as possible if the events would culminate as I imagined. The manic narrative dance toward a seemingly unavoidable tragedy further highlights the prevalent theme of unbreakable cycles.

There is so much more I could say about this amazing work, but I’d like to leave you with just one thought. I’m ashamed to admit I prioritize classic literature over contemporary. The truth is that there are too many valuable accounts being created now that have never been created before. Read this book. Read it and others like it. We owe it to each other.