There There

Starred review from April 2, 2018
Orangeâs commanding debut chronicles contemporary Native Americans in Oakland, as their lives collide in the days leading up to the cityâs inaugural Big Oakland Powwow. Bouncing between voices and points of view, Orange introduces 12 characters, their plotlines hinging on things like 3-Dâprinted handguns and VR-controlled drones. Tony Loneman and Octavio Gomez see the powwow as an opportunity to pay off drug debts via a brazen robbery. Others, like Edwin Black and Orvil Red Feather, view the gathering as a way to connect with ancestry and, in Edwinâs case, to meet his father for the first time. Blue, who was given up for adoption, travels to Oklahoma in an attempt to learn about her family, only to return to Oakland as the powwowâs coordinator. Orvilâs grandmother, Jacquie, who abandoned her family years earlier, reappears in the city with powwow emcee Harvey, whom she briefly dated when the duo lived on Alcatraz Island as adolescents. Time and again, the city is a magnet for these individuals. The propulsion of both the overall narrative and its players are breathtaking as Orange unpacks how decisions of the past mold the present, resulting in a haunting and gripping story. Agent: Nicole Aragi, Aragi Inc.

An ensemble cast is an effective vehicle for a novel about contemporary Native Americans living in Oakland, California. The subplots and changing points of view show their relationships to each other, the violence that is part of their daily lives in the city, and their eventual meeting at the first Oakland Powwow. Chapter headings that announce a shift in point of view become particularly helpful as more characters are introduced. Listeners will enjoy the individual stories as they unfold and slowly intertwine. The emotions that Alma Cuervo and Kyla Garcia bring to the characters of Jacquie Red Feather and her sister, Opal, are particularly memorable. E.J.F. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine