There There

'THERE THERE drops on us like a thunderclap; the big, booming, explosive sound of 21st century literature finally announcing itself. Essential.'
―Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings

'A gripping deep dive into urban indigenous community in California: an astonishing literary debut!'
―Margaret Atwood, via Twitter

'Welcome to a brilliant and generous artist who has already enlarged the landscape of American fiction. THERE THERE is a comic vision haunted by profound sadness. Tommy Orange is a new writer with an old heart.'
―Louise Erdrich

‘Groundbreaking. Extraordinary. Tommy Orange has written a tense, prismatic book with inexorable momentum.’
--Janet Maslin, New York Times

‘THERE THERE has so much jangling energy and brings so much news from a distinct corner of American life that it’s a revelation.’
--Dwight Garner, New York Times

‘Masterful. White-hot. A devastating debut novel.’ Washington Post

Jacquie Red Feather and her sister Opal grew up together, relying on each other during their unsettled childhood. As adults they were driven apart, but Jacquie is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. That’s why she is there.
Dene is there because he has been collecting stories to honour his uncle's death. Edwin is looking for his true father. Opal came to watch her boy Orvil dance. All of them are connected by bonds they may not yet understand.

All of them are there for the cultural celebration that is the Big Oakland Powwow.

But Tony Loneman is also there. And Tony has come to the Powwow with darker intentions.

'There There is a propulsive, groundbreaking novel, polyphonic and multigenerational, weaving together an array of contemporary Native American voices into a singularly dynamic and original meta-narrative about violence and recovery, about family and loss, about identity and power.' Derek Palacio