In its second half, There There picks up the pace and builds suspense. As they tell the stories, a sinister plot develops: a plan to rob the Big Oakland Powwow and steal the prize money.
Each of these characters has different relationships to their Native identity, but they all struggle with the diverse legacies of colonial racism and violence. In Part II, Reclaim, Orange further develops the plot as told by a varied set of voices, introducing: Bill Davis, Edwin's mother's boyfriend struggling to keep up with the times as he ages Calvin Johnson, who owes Octavio money for a drug bust Jacquie Red Feather, Opal's half-sister who struggles with alcoholism to reconcile a life of loss and pain and Orvil Red Feather, one of Jacquie's grandsons in the care of Opal, who learns about his Native identity entirely through YouTube. These include: Dene Oxendene, a filmmaker on a quest to tell urban Indian stories Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, an older woman taking care of her three great-nephews, who reminisces about her childhood in Oakland and on Alcatraz Island during the Indian uprising and Edwin Black, a young man struggling with obesity and depression upon failing to find a job after graduating his Master's program and moving back in with his mother. Over the rest of Part I, entitled Remain, other main characters are introduced, with each section told by a different character's narrative voice.
Tony has suffered throughout his life from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and lives with his guardian Maxine, whom he loves. Tony Loneman is the first narrator, a young Native man living in Oakland. Once this context has been established, the novel officially commences, telling its story through a wide range of diverse Native voices.
There Thereopens with incisive commentary on the historical legacy of colonialism and, more specifically, symbols like the Indian head.
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