Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This book was powerful.

It's about history and identity, growth and loss, pain and recovery, suffering and triumph, defeat and success, life and death and the bonds made and lost between relatives, ancestors and how all of that fits together.

The author uses multiple writing styles to provide many changing perspectives. At first it's a little jarring to have the perspective change (different chapters are in first, second and third person narrative form) because it is so different from anything else. But what seems odd at first ends up working to create an incredible mosaic of interconnected lives and stories, with characters who are real, complex and unique. Each chapter is from a different character's perspective, but each voice is distinctly its own.

Even more stunning is that this is a debut novel. I am eagerly looking forward to whatever else this author releases in the future.

Highly, HIGHLY recommended!!

*edit: I used this to fulfill the multi-generational saga, but it definitely fits many other categories as well.

I was going to read this one for the indigenous people prompt, but I ended up DNF'ing it. I got through about four chapters, each with different perspectives, and it was just... not right for me. I wasn't a fan of the clipped writing style, the switching perspectives (like Peter mentioned), and the general plot structure.

That being said, if I had picked this up in the dead of winter when I was craving something deeper and darker, I may have liked it more. It just wasn't suiting me right now.

Great review Peter! I really liked this one and also found it quite powerful even though I did think the end was a bit haphazard (probably purposefully) and I would have liked a bit more about how things ended up with some of the characters.

I agree it was an amazing debut effort but I do understand why some people don't connect with it. All of the different perspectives (I think 12 in all?) can be difficult to keep straight so I can understand being frustrated.

Emily, I didn't like There There either and took it back to the library without finishing it. For the indigenous people book, I read Anne Hillerman's The Tale Teller. Or try Richard Wagamese's book Dream Wheels. It is fabulous.

I have absolutely sailed through Rebecca Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightening for this prompt.

I do think I’ll revisit There There... I feel like it definitely has merit and it’s point of view is important. Just a case of the wrong book at the wrong time.

I read this for week 20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country.

I've been looking for an excuse to read this book for awhile so this was the perfect opportunity. I loved how the stories interconnected and also the focus on the present instead of the past, which is usually what any stories involving Indigenous culture cover. Will be looking for this author's next work.

I also read this for 2019's Week 20: a book featuring indigenous people of a country, and while I liked the book overall, I regreted reading something so contemporary. I'd read similar works before, like the riveting On the Rez and both it and There There were just so bleak. I'm not discounting these novels and memoirs, as they document the brutal plight of Native Americans and the stories must be told. I just wished I'd read something with more historical/cultural significance this time around.