Home
/
Fiction
/
There There
There There
Jan 13, 2026 10:55 PM

Author:Tommy Orange

There There

** Shortlisted for the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award **

One of Barack Obama's best books of 2018, the New York Times bestselling novel about contemporary America from a bold new Native American voice

'A thunderclap' Marlon James

'Astonishing' Margaret Atwood, via Twitter

'Pure soaring beauty' Colm Tóibín

Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and hoping to reconnect with her estranged family. That's why she is there. Dene is there because he has been collecting stories to honour his uncle's death, while Edwin is looking for his true father and Opal came to watch her boy Orvil dance.

All of them are connected by bonds they may not yet understand. All of them are here for the celebration that is the Big Oakland Powwow. But Tony Loneman is also there. And Tony has come to the Powow with darker intentions.

'An exhilarating, polyphonic debut novel... Dazzling'

Daily Telegraph

'Lyrical and playful, shaking and shimmering with energy... Orange creates beauty out of tragedy'

Guardian

'Bold and engrossing... Orange has got under his characters' skins, allowing them to speak for themselves'

Financial Times

A New York Times Top 10 Best Book 2018

An Oprah Magazine Top 15 Best Book 2018

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2019

Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2019

Winner of the Writer's Center First Novel Award 2018

Reviews

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

Coming very soon: There There, by Tommy Orange. Gripping deep dive into urban #indigenous community: astonishing literary début!

—— Margaret Atwood (on Twitter)

Welcome to a brilliant and generous artist who has already enlarged the landscape of American fiction. There There is a comic vision haunted by profound sadness. Tommy Orange is a new writer with an old heart.

—— Louise Erdrich

There There is a propulsive, groundbreaking novel, polyphonic and multigenerational, weaving together an array of contemporary Native American voices into a singularly dynamic and original meta-narrative about violence and recovery, about family and loss, about identity and power.

—— Derek Palacio

There, There is an urgent, invigorating, absolutely vital book by a novelist with more raw virtuosic talent than any young writer I've come across in a long, long time. Maybe ever. Tommy Orange is a stylist with substance, a showboater with a deeply moral compass. I want to call him heir to Gertrude Stein by way of George Saunders, but he is even more original than that. This book will make your heart swell.

—— Clare Vaye Watkins

It’s practically Shakespearean. But there’s sharp humour and spiky energy too in this bold, distinctive debut

—— Siobhan Murphy , The Times

These are stories that need to be heard. Tommy Orange is a writer who needs to be read

—— Oscar Rickett , i

There There feels like a bold opening statement of intent… Orange has a way with words and a convincing eye for character. His debut has both the arresting page-turning charm of a good thriller but also the recumbent beauty of a well written literary novel

—— Bookmunch

Orange’s fiery debut… There There is at once a poetic and suspenseful page-turner and a subtle condemnation of a shameful history

—— Lucy Feldman , Time, **Books of the Year**

Exhilarating and polyphonic, with a Tarantino-esque climax, it is also a powerful meditation on history, culture and identity

—— Daily Telegraph

There There…[is] hugely impressive, a brilliantly conceived and written first novel

—— Herald

[There There] tackles poverty, sexuality, identity and the decline and desire for community. It's Orange's ability to carve out such small and quiet moments in the stifled domestic strands of his complicated story and then such magnitude in the breadth of the overarching topic…which makes this novel so frightening, so hopeful and so powerful

—— Dazed Digital

Orange is an extremely skilful writer; each narrative voice he creates is completely distinctive and it is a wonder that this novel was written by a single writer

—— University of Nottingham Impact

Both refined and depravedMy Year of Rest and Relaxation is a page-turner.

—— New Yorker

My Year Of Rest And Relaxation is blisteringly funny, perceptive, knowing and shows how so many of us lead disaffected, alienated lives even without becoming narcotic recluses.

—— Red Online

You’ll emerge from this darkly hilarious novel not necessarily rested or relaxed but more finely attuned to how delicately fraught the human condition can be.

—— Marie Claire

This is destined to be one of the summer’s most buzzed-about books.

—— Bookish

Moshfegh’s ear remains as merciless as ever. Like a latter-day Flaubert, she delights in vanity and mediocrity, and in the absurdist heights both can reach whenever the occasion calls for a few sincere words.

—— Harper's Magazine

Moshfegh’s sly new novel is… a strange, compelling tale of existential angst.

—— Mail on Sunday

[The] premise makes me instantly want to reach for the book and hide with it for the next few hours.

—— Elle

[Moshfegh] delights in creating fiction…like a magician who performs her best tricks without any props.

—— Lucian Robinson , Literary Review

[With] deadpan, unembellished prose recalling the cadences of Joan Didion and the clear-eyed candor of Mary GaitskillMy Year of Rest and Relaxation is most convincing as an urbane dark comedy, sharp-eyed satire leavened by passages of morbid sobriety, as in a perverse fusion of Sex and the City and Requiem for a Dream.

—— Joyce Carol Oates , New York Review of Books

Ottessa Moshfegh pulls off an unlikely premise, demonstrating once again the unsettling energy, daring plotting and biting observations that have earned her literary prizes and praise from the start of her career.

—— Clare McHugh , Time

Moshfegh’s managed to produce a funny, acerbic and captivating novel from both a heroine we ought to hate (a rich kid bored with the life of plenty) and a plot that’s almost tautologically sedate (nap after blackout after nap after blackout)… it’s invigoratingwhat raises this book above the masses is Moshfegh’s wit, her invention, and her unflinching eye for the grotesque; anything could happen to our narrator and we’d keep on reading, because Moshfegh would make it sound unerringly interesting.

—— Valerie O’Riordan , Bookmunch

Ottessa Moshfegh is a merciless comedian of vanity and frailty.

—— Alex Clark , Spectator

Intoxicating… [My Year of Rest and Relaxation] is the boldest literary statement of passive resistance since Herman Melville’s scrivener… It speaks to Moshfegh’s storytelling skills that an account of someone sleep for a year is as gripping as My Year of Rest and Relaxation reads.

—— Lucy Scholes , Financial Times

The writing is precise and hilarious, as well as disturbing and dark.

—— New Statesman

Moshfegh’s characters are often so funny in and about their unhappiness that we don’t want them to escape it, or not yet… My Year of Rest and Relaxation is written in multiple modes at once: comedy and tragedy and farce, blurring into one another, climbing on top of one another.

—— Anne Diebel , London Review of Books

A shocking, hilarious and strangely tender novel.

—— Jenna Rak , Glamour Magazine

I love this book. It's funny, I find it intriguing and Moshfegh has a dark voice. I started reading her and thought, 'This sounds like a female Bret Easton Ellis'.

—— Ellie Bamber , Stylist

Enthralling. The voice is compelling and witty, drawing one into the experience.

—— Shamika Tamhane , Cherwell Newspaper

The black comedy draws you in and the mysteries, twists and turns keep you there.

—— Wendy Bristow , Planet Mindful, *Summer Reads of 2019*

Whip-smart and bleakly funny.

—— Chloe Ashby , Monocle

The most inspiring novel of recent years.

—— Eva Wiseman , Observer

Depressing, dystopian, dry and dark, but also strangely comforting and full of the joy of innocent fantasy of withdrawing from a hostile world.

—— Sam Knowles and Sam Waters , NARC

Moshfegh's stunning 2018 novel has a haunting ending... [and] relentlessly vicious humour.

—— Gwendolyn Smith , i

This razor sharp satirical novel has achieved near mythical status... [a] compelling and clever take on a female character that isn't afraid to speak her mind

—— Glamour

Ottessa is one of our newest, most dazzling, daring and outrageous voices in literature

—— Gwendoline Christie , Vogue

Blisteringly funny and keenly perceptive.

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times

Deeply affecting, crackling with wit, and consistently magnificent.

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

A globe-trotting, kaleidoscopic portrait of Irish siblings and their difficult mother.

—— Justine Jordan , Guardian

A magnificent novel about family and belonging told in stark yet sparkling prose.

—— Stylist

A fierce, funny, loosely woven family saga.

—— Alex Preston , Observer

[A] darkly glinting novel of family life.

—— Ruth Scurr , The Spectator

A bravura example of shifting voices and perspectives, all of which benefit from Enright’s splendid prose and careful restraint.

—— Sarah Churchwell , New Statesman

Enright dissects [her character’s] foibles with warmth, wit and a bracing lack of sentimentality.

—— Simon Kuper , Financial Times

A book you don’t put down until it is finished, dragging you right into the heart of another Irish family as only Anne Enright can.

—— Keelin Shanley , Irish Times

A family saga, beginning with intense and beautifully detailed character studies.

—— Mark O'Halloran , Irish Times

I... enjoyed The Green Road for the dialogue, the clever narrative structure, and the gnarled, contemporary sense of family values.

—— Paul Durcan , Irish Times

I could not put it down. Chapter two is a masterpiece.

—— Edna O'Brien , Irish Times

Stylish prose that charts the fortunes and misfortunes of this family over a period of 25 years.

—— Anne O'Neill , Irish Times

In this brilliant, captivating novel, the poised, impossible and always disappointed matriarch Rosaleen Madigan makes life difficult for her children at a Christmas gathering.

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday Express

Few Novelists pick apart domestic relationships with the poetry and precision of Anne Enright.

—— Claire Allfree , Metro

Sharp yet oh so subtle storytelling […] this is an author at the height of her formidable powers.

—— Stephen Meyler , RTE Guide

An exquisitely written portrait of a family, and a country, on the cusp of enormous change.

—— Paul Nolan , Hot Press

Exquisitely written and hugely enjoyable.

—— National

A brilliant approach to the sadness of a disconnected family, who are like satellites out of sync.

—— Anthony Cummins , Sunday Telegraph

Enright’s virtuosic tale of an Irish family- the Madigans- across continents and decades withholds closure but doesn’t skimp on pleasure

—— five stars , Daily Telegraph

A compelling novel, full of astute observations, beautifully written, sometimes stark and other times aching with longing

—— Collette Sheridan , Irish Examiner

The sweep of the book and Anne Enright's way fo pulling this global migratuon story together with such energy and detail puts her in somewhere beside Toni Morrison

—— Independent, Ireland

Heart-wrenching novel… The surgical precision of Enright’s writing makes you feel that she can, in Wordsworth’s words, “see into the life of things”. There is a singing simplicity to it that tugs at your heart…A masterly work.

—— Christina Patterson , Sunday Times

Beautifully observed. Enright is a great writer.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Bold and brilliant.

—— The Week

Incredible… I’m totally captivated.

—— Annie Mac , The Sunday Times

An evocative story about family ties and belonging.

—— Western Morning News

A brilliant read.

—— Western Morning News

A story of fracture and family, selfishness and compassion.

—— SheerLuxe.com

Sharply funny portrait of an Irish family meeting for a final Christmas.

—— Metro

Within pages I was wrapped in the warmth of Enright’s prose… This is a beautiful book… Enright is unquestionably a fantastic writer who, for me with this novel, conjured up the world of a family with all its highs and lows that felt like they might be having this reunion down the end of your road… Enright does two of my favourite things in fiction. She makes the ordinary, and everything we take for granted, seem extra ordinary. She also gives voices to those who have not been able to share their tales… The writing is stunning.

—— Simon Savidge , Savidge Reads

An evocative story about family ties and belonging. Anne Enright is deservedly a well-respected writer.

—— Western Morning News

Enright's novels are fantastically well-crafted, eloquent and funny… Each character is beautifully realized… She finds unexpected adjectives, brilliantly exact description, the spot-on emotion. Her writing is lyrical but always unsentimental. There is pleasure in reading every paragraph, and an enormous wisdom throughout the pages.

—— Mumsnet

Truly wonderful… The dialogue is particularly brilliant… It completely envelops you in the story and will leave you wanting more.

—— Belfast Telegraph Morning

Wonderful… The dialogue is particularly brilliant, capturing all the barbed snappiness of dinner with siblings.

—— Herald

I fell headfirst into the beautifully written prose of this novel, so authentic and charming in its telling of one Irish family over more than two decades. Each vibrant character gets a turn in almost short stories of their own that feel almost like entities in their own right. I adored it.

—— Cathy Levy , Red Online

A resonant, masterly work.

—— Sunday Times

[An] exceptional novel.

—— David Nicholls , Guardian

This is a flawless book, it’s utterly flawless… It has just touched so many other readers. This book is heartbreaking… A beautiful examination of unhappy families… The power of Anne’s writing is you all see a reflection of your own family…it’s tender and it’s beautiful and deserves to be widely read.

—— Victoria Sadler

Enright is undoubtedly one of our most prominent novelists

—— Elif Shafak , Week
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved