Anyone who was lucky enough to catch Tommy Orange’s first title, There There (2018), will eagerly anticipate this new book. But how does an artist follow up on an almost perfect, near genius debut? Pretty brilliantly, as it turns out.
Orange, who is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma, has written a prequel/sequel to his first novel that adds a relevant and utterly contemporary work to the North American fiction canon.
Wandering Stars begins with the Sand Creek massacre of 1864, where 600 Cheyenne and Arapaho were slaughtered by the US army, among them Bird Woman and Jude Star, two of the main protagonist’s tribal ancestors. Through subsequent generations of their family, we learn how US administrations went from the massacre of tribes to more devious genocidal policies, such as the establishment of sadistic Indian industrial schools in the 20th century.
Charlie Star undergoes this process but rejoins members of the “peyote church”, which reclaimed native practices. The papers he leaves behind in the 1920s will inspire his granddaughters Opal and Jacquie to become politically active at the occupation of Alcatraz by the American Indian Movement in 1969-1972. They eventually become grandmothers to Orvil, Lony and Loother Red Feather.
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The young brothers continue to struggle with their cultural identity and despite their attempts to redress this, one classic malady tragically gets in the way. Orange’s heartbreaking and astute rendition of addiction and recovery in all their complex aspects is one of the book’s strongest points.
[ There There: Powerful debut examines life as a Native AmericanOpens in new window ]
While the book covers a variety of themes, from racism, cultural appropriation, trauma, poverty and more, to simply list these is to miss the essence of this complex and ambitious work. Its writing is luminescent in parts, searingly sad in others. There is no strict linear plot; it follows in the rich storytelling tradition of great Native American authors such as Louise Erdrich.
Its exposition of souls damaged by relentless suffering and social hardships and their fierce and inspiring fight to overcome these challenges is passionate and powerful. Wandering Stars shines in so many ways that the reader will want not only to seek out his debut, but to read more from Orange, who has clearly established himself as a master.
