There There
A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art, Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers. When a thirty-something portrait painter is abandoned by his wife, he secludes himself in the mountain home of a world famous artist. One day, the young painter hears a noise from the attic, and upon investigation, he discovers a previously unseen painting. By unearthing this hidden work of art, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances; and to close it, he must undertake a perilous journey into a netherworld that only Haruki Murakami could conjure.
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There There by Tommy Orange
290 pages
What’s it about?
This group of interrelated stories revolves around the Native American community in Oakland, Ca. All twelve characters are traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow for a variety of reasons.
What did it make me think about?
This novel was unique in that it did not take place on the Great Plains in the 1800's, not does it take place on a reservation. This is the story of twelve people that live in an urban setting and how being a Native American affects their life in the city of Oakland.
Should I read it?
So I will say that the hardest part of this book was keeping the characters straight. Don't despair- just read on! Tommy Orange succeeds brilliantly in making all these characters matter. Even if you are unsure who is who- you are still interested in knowing more. Jacquie Red Feather was one of my personal favorites, but so many of the characters were compelling. I would put this book up with any of the great novels that connect many short stories into one larger story. As soon as I closed the book I wanted to re-open it and start over. It's that kind of a book.
Quote-
"I want to bring something new to the Native experience as it's seen on screen. We haven't seen the Urban Indian story. What we've seen is full of the kinds of stereotypes that are the reason no one is interested in the Native story in general, it's too sad, so sad it can't even be entertaining, but more importantly because of the way it's been portrayed, it looks pathetic, and we perpetuate that, but no, fuck that, excuse my language, but it makes me mad, because the whole picture is not pathetic, and the individual people and stories that you come across are not pathetic or weak or in need of pity, and there is real passion there, and rage, and that's part of what I'm bringing to the project, because I feel that way too, ...."
If you like this try-
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
There There by Tommy Orange
290 pages
What’s it about?
This group of interrelated stories revolves around the Native American community in Oakland, Ca. All twelve characters are traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow for a variety of reasons.
What did it make me think about?
This novel was unique in that it did not take place on the Great Plains in the 1800's, not does it take place on a reservation. This is the story of twelve people that live in an urban setting and how being a Native American affects their life in the city of Oakland.
Should I read it?
So I will say that the hardest part of this book was keeping the characters straight. Don't despair- just read on! Tommy Orange succeeds brilliantly in making all these characters matter. Even if you are unsure who is who- you are still interested in knowing more. Jacquie Red Feather was one of my personal favorites, but so many of the characters were compelling. I would put this book up with any of the great novels that connect many short stories into one larger story. As soon as I closed the book I wanted to re-open it and start over. It's that kind of a book.
Quote-
"I want to bring something new to the Native experience as it's seen on screen. We haven't seen the Urban Indian story. What we've seen is full of the kinds of stereotypes that are the reason no one is interested in the Native story in general, it's too sad, so sad it can't even be entertaining, but more importantly because of the way it's been portrayed, it looks pathetic, and we perpetuate that, but no, fuck that, excuse my language, but it makes me mad, because the whole picture is not pathetic, and the individual people and stories that you come across are not pathetic or weak or in need of pity, and there is real passion there, and rage, and that's part of what I'm bringing to the project, because I feel that way too, ...."
If you like this try-
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Written well but depressing. A perspective into what it means to be an urban Native American in the present day, something I didn’t know anything about.
ok i just reread almost all of this because the first time through i kept getting confused. there’s no central narrator and i kept getting different characters mixed up, which made the story’s emphasis on identity hard to absorb. this time through i tried to really remember each person’s background (i have a lot of trouble with mixed pov when i’m reading) and i think i got more out of it. the writing itself is nice so rereading it wasn’t a chore at all. still don’t feel like i Get It though… and it’s gotten so many glowing reviews i feel like that’s my fault and not the book’s
It took me a while to return to this book but after the first few chapters, everything started to make sense. Not all 12 characters are fully developed but the ones that had more chapters were really interesting to read. I especially like the three brothers of Loother, Lony, and Orvil. I like how everyone is connected in someway leading up to the pow wow. I also like how Tommy Orange wrote himself into the book as Dene Oxendene, also wanting to tell Native stories through an unfiltered lens. 5/5 recommend to anyone who wants to read more about Native experiences.
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