Questions About There There

by Tommy Orange (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (29)

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Kiley

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I just added this book to my "To Read Soon" list. I am curious-- what is the significance of the title "There There"? Thanks!

John Singh It's Oakland. It's Radiohead (a song about believing in something that isn't there).

But mostly it's the phrase used to calm someone down in a condesce…moreIt's Oakland. It's Radiohead (a song about believing in something that isn't there).

But mostly it's the phrase used to calm someone down in a condescending way. It's all of it. "There there." It's what we tell people who have a real grievance, but who we want to dismiss. It's the way we've treated Indians, as if their loss isn't real, as if all of this weren't really theirs first and foremost. As if we didn't cheat them and swindle them and then kill them all after telling them we'd be their friends.

"There, there. It'll all be fine."

The two words seem like they will be reassuring to the reader who doesn't know about the novel. But it turns out, they're anything but. Because guess what, America? You can pretend you didn't do what you did to them, you can pretend they don't exist, but: "They're there."(less)

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What are the 'spiders' in Opal's legs? Might be a silly question but is that literal or a description of an actual ailment?

Andrea I found an article where Tommy Orange addresses this question: https://www.kqed.org/arts/13835114/to...

QUESTION FROM INTERVIEWER: "You've done somethi…moreI found an article where Tommy Orange addresses this question: https://www.kqed.org/arts/13835114/to...

QUESTION FROM INTERVIEWER: "You've done something gorgeous with the structure of this novel. At times I want to call it a braid, but other times it feels like a spider's web, each strand resonating with and sending mild disturbances to what came before. In the book you write of a mother not allowing her children to kill spiders: "Spiders carry miles of web in their bodies, miles of story, miles of potential home and trap. She said that's what we are. Home and trap." I am so taken with this passage. I've thought about it on and off since reading it. Could you tell me about how you came about the structure of the book, and maybe talk a little about spiders?"

ANSWER FROM TOMMY: "I thought of the structure for this novel from the very outset, before I even started writing it. It came to me in a single moment. It was the strangest thing: I could see the whole thing at once. I was convinced of it enough to write into it for the next six years.

Of course, making it work and successfully braiding, or webbing, the thing was difficult. I knew I wanted it to be a novel and not a collection of stories calling itself a novel. I didn’t think of a web while writing it. That sort of came about of its own accord. Maybe like making an accidentally cohesive mosaic. Not that I wasn’t putting in the work to make it cohesive. When you work with complexity and chaos that you do your best to wield, sometimes unintended patterns emerge.

Regarding spiders, well, when I was researching, I came across this idea of miles of web in a spider’s body. There was just so much potential for metaphor there. And then, like one of the characters in the novel, I too pulled spider legs out of my own leg. It was crazy. There’s no explanation for it. I did a ton of research. Like my characters, I scoured the internet. When I asked my dad he told me it sounded like I got witched. I don’t know about any of that. What I did end up feeling was like I couldn’t not use it in the novel."(less)

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I've enjoyed other books about Native Americans, like "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". I'm seeing rave, 5-star reviews for "There There". Is it because of the subject, which certainly needs addressing and it would benefit many of us to understand more about Native Americans? Or is it because readers really loved the book itself?

Olivia G Thinking that "There There" is being highly lauded purely because it focuses on modern Native American life in a way that is unique to many readers is…moreThinking that "There There" is being highly lauded purely because it focuses on modern Native American life in a way that is unique to many readers is reductive and offensive to this work and the author. As the jacket mentions, this novel may one day be required reading in American schools not only because of its nuance and thoroughness in portraying contemporary, urban Native American life but also because the ways in which Orange weaves together these stories are profound and lasting. It's one of the most meaningful novels I've engaged with, and I look forward to Orange's future works.(less)

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Anyone got a good character list? I have looked online. I am enjoying the book, but getting overwhelmed with the list of characters. Thats my problem, not the authors. I wish character lists were readily available with most novels.

Elle Gehringer This isn't a character list with descriptions, but this flow chart helped me keep some of the relationships straight at least - https://thelexingtonbo …moreThis isn't a character list with descriptions, but this flow chart helped me keep some of the relationships straight at least - https://thelexingtonbookie.files.word... (less)

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