booksandbujos's reviews
170 reviews

The first half-ish of this book follows characters in the past, but I didn’t really feel connected with them. I wish we could have spent more time getting to know them and exploring their lives deeper. I feel like, especially for Charles Star, that the synopsis was not correct as I was expecting more from Charles Star’s experiences or the impacts of his time at Carlisle Indian Industrial School, but that is not what we got.

Where the book really got back on track was when we returned to the Redfeathers, whom we met and followed a little in There, There. I loved the exploration of these unique characters as they dealt with the aftermath of the shooting at the Powwow. Once again, Tommy Orange, writes such complex characters that are flawed, but you understand why and want them to figure it out and get to a place of peace and healing. Would definitely recommend the second half of this book over the first half. I don’t think that was entirely necessary if the idea was to detail the impacts on Orvil, Loother, and Lony.

Content Warnings