There There

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Consider the groups or communities you belong to. What brings those groups together? Do you feel your individual concerns resonate with the concerns of the collective? Or do those concerns alienate you from the community?

2. What are your perspectives on the history of colonialist violence? Do you think colonialism persists today, even in subtle, informal ways? How does this novel affect your view of colonialism?

3. Every character in the novel has experienced some form of trauma. How did you respond to their stories? Did you find them challenging to engage with, and if so, do you feel you nevertheless got something out of them?

4. How have you engaged with heritage as an aspect of your identity? Do you feel it is important to uphold your heritage or perform activities that were relevant to your ancestors? How might you live your heritage today?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel engages with the historical plight of the Indigenous American community. How does the novel position the role of the city in this plight? What is the city’s role in the erasure of Indigenous communities, as well as in their attempts to reclaim land?

2. Orange’s novel looks at modern Indigenous American life through a broad cast of characters. Compare this title to a similar work—e.g., Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, which features interconnected stories about a Penobscot community in Maine. What common elements recur between these two stories? How do they speak to experiences that resonate across different Indigenous American communities today?

3. How does Orange frame the female characters of his novel? What unique challenges do they face, and how does this relate to the novel’s overall exploration of Indigenous experience?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Orange occasionally breaks away from the narrative to discourse on facets of the Indigenous American experience, such as in the Prologue and in the Part 2 sections entitled “Blood,” “Last Names,” and “Apparent Death.” How do these essay-like interludes inform your understanding of the main narrative?

2. Discuss Orange’s decision to bookend the narrative with the character of Tony Loneman. What does starting and ending the novel with Tony accomplish—narratively, thematically, etc.? 

3. Consider Orange’s implied criticism of identity politics. What is the novel’s position on Indigenous American identity? Do characters feel the need to prove their identity through clothing or performative action? How do these ideas intersect with the Big Oakland Powwow as the novel’s culminating event?

4. Discuss how Dene functions as an analog for the author. What are the ways Orange places himself in his own story through this character?