The characters face similar conflict throughout the novel. The main characters include Tony Loneman, Dene Oxendene, Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, Edwin Black, Bill Davis, Calvin Johnson, Jacquie Red Feather, Orvil Red Feather, Octavio Gomez, Daniel Gonzales, Blue, and Thomas Frank. The book begins with an essay by Orange, detailing 'brief and jarring vignettes revealing the violence and genocide that Indigenous people have endured, and how it has been sanitized over the centuries.' Īs the novel continues into fiction it alternates between first, second, and third person perspectives, following twelve characters who are Native American or closely related to Native Americans in the area of Oakland, California. The book was also awarded a Gold Medal for First Fiction by the California Book Awards.

There There was favorably received, and was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize.

The book explores the themes of Native peoples living in urban spaces ( Urban Indians), and issues of ambivalence and complexity related to Natives' struggles with identity and authenticity. All of the characters unite at a community powwow and its attempted robbery. The characters struggle with a wide array of challenges, ranging from depression and alcoholism, to unemployment, fetal alcohol syndrome, and the challenges of living with an 'ambiguously nonwhite' ethnic identity in the United States.

Published in 2018, the book follows a large cast of Native Americans living in the Oakland, California area and contains several essays on Native American history and identity. There There is the debut novel by Cheyenne and Arapaho author Tommy Orange.

There there by tommy orange