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Edwin Black is a biracial man who suffers from insecurity related to his Native American identity and finds himself in a period of severe stagnation due to his depression over failing to connect with his roots and achieve his dreams. Edwin is half white and half Native, but he was raised by and lives with his single white mother, while he has had absolutely no communication with his father. Consequently, his relationship with his Native roots has been fraught. Like many of the urban Natives in There There, Edwin fantasizes about what his life would be like had he grown up on a reservation, and he creates an alter ego in an online game who embodies what Edwin wishes he could be: close with his father and confident in his Native heritage. The novel pushes back on these fantasies through the stories of characters like Blue, who leaves her life in Oakland for the Cheyenne Reservation to connect with her roots, only to experience severe domestic abuse at the hands of her alcoholic husband. Because Blue and Edwin are, unbeknownst to each other, half-siblings, they share similar fantasies, experiences, and life lessons that have borne a complicated and confusing relationship with their identities.
Edwin, like his half-sister, had also attempted to reconnect with his heritage. At university, he achieved a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature with a focus on Native American Literature. In studying the stories and texts of his ancestors and connecting and comparing them to the greater canon of literature, Edwin hoped to find his own place in this complex narrative history. However, after graduation, his work and dreams fizzle, and he moves back in with his mother. Disappointed and aimless, Edwin struggles to find a job and gains weight. He turns to the internet for stimulation and solace and grows dependent on its presence in his life. Due to his unhealthy diet and lifestyle, Edwin suffers from constipation, often experiencing stretches of up to a week without bowel movements. This constipation is a physical manifestation of the stagnation of Edwin’s intellectual and personal life. Edwin has been holding everything in, and he needs to let something—his voice, his pain, his emotions—out, but after such a long period of stasis, he doesn’t know how. Two events become the catalyst in Edwin’s eventual progress: finding his father via social media and applying to the internship at the Indian Center. Both events represent a first step in Edwin’s journey toward reclaiming his heritage and identity. After agreeing to apply for the internship, Edwin feels motivated and attempts to exercise in his room. The exercise immediately prompts a bowel movement, humorously showing that Edwin is heading in the right direction.
