There There

Reviews / Votes

How do you rewrite the story of a people? This question shapes Tommy Orange's sorrowful, beautiful debut novel . . . There There itself is a kind of dance. Even in its tragic details, it is lyrical and playful, shaking and shimmering with energy. The novel dips into the tiniest personal details and sweeps across history. Orange creates beauty out of tragedy. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan * Guardian * [A] bold and engrossing debut... [Orange] has got under his characters' skins, allowing them to speak for themselves... This is a powerful novel of pain and possibility -- Erica Wagner * Financial Times * A magnificent achievement... Orange has created a remarkable work, and I have little doubt that he will be ranked in the pantheon of 21st century American novelists -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday * It is optimism that lingers after finishing the book. Fragile and flawed though this hope might be, it remains moving and powerful, just like the rest of Orange's impressive achievement -- Alexander Larman * Observer * Compelling and affecting... It's a searing, haunting read - all the way to its violent, intense climax -- Hephzibah Anderson * Mail on Sunday * Mr Orange's sparkling debut is not merely a literary triumph but a cultural and political one, too. It is a work of defiance and recovery * Economist * One of the most dazzling openings I have read this year . . . [An] exhilarating, polyphonic debut novel -- Luiza Sauma * Daily Telegraph * Articulated bluntly and beautifully by Orange, it's magnificent, bold, educational and forthright. It's something of a masterpiece * UK Press Syndication * An involving and ambitious debut -- Adam Lively * Sunday Times * There There drops on us like a thunderclap; the big, booming, explosive sound of 21st century literature finally announcing itself. Essential. -- Marlon James