Most of reading a novel is just getting immersed in a good story, and enjoying it -- learning to see the world from a different perspective. But authors also use many tools to structure their stories in ways that add layer and meaning, and understanding some of those tools can help you enjoy the story more and think of things to say in class discussions. Here are a few tips on reading fiction, and things to look for.
You'll want to have something handy to take notes with, but don't stop and try to do that with every sentence. Read for the story first. Get an idea of what's happening. Then go back and look again, and think about whether you need to take any notes. (Whether you do this for every page you read, every chapter, or every couple of paragraphs is up to your preference.) Things you might want to note include:
You don't have to understand everything right away. College reading can (and should) involve reading more than once, and it's fine to read the whole novel and then go back and read more closely, taking notes. It's expected that you'll take time over the novel and not rush through it.
Themes are the big ideas that the story is dealing with. Authors will often ask serious questions through the story, and think through the implications of an idea. This may involve contrasting two sides of a pair, so that's always a good thing to look for. For example, the cartoon Avatar features themes of genocide and imperialism, and also redemption. It looks at destiny versus free will. The followup, The Legend of Korra, tackles some different themes of equality, political systems, and the effects of rapid social change.
Tommy Orange weaves several themes together in his novel; the importance of home and of storytelling are two.
"Intertextuality" is simply a word that describes the relationships between texts; that is, the way authors may bring in references to other stories and put their own stamp on them. You see this all the time in all sorts of media. For example, if an author writes a story about two lovers whose families hate each other, they can't ignore Romeo and Juliet or all the other stories about star-crossed lovers. The 'intertextuality' is the conversation between the old story, the new, and the variations that have been told in between. You could say that the "Secret Tunnel" song in Avatar features intertextuality with Romeo and Juliet; it expects you to already know something about star-crossed lovers.
In There There Tommy Orange is using intertextuality right in the title, which refers to a famous quotation from the writer Gertrude Stein. In her book Everybody's Autobiography, she refers to Oakland as having "no there there," because her childhood home and neighborhood had been demolished. Orange shows that for his characters and many urban Native Americans, there is a there in Oakland.
When a particular image or thing, even a color, keeps popping up in a story, it's a good bet that the author is using that image to convey an idea. Pay attention when you see something that shows up repeatedly, and think about it. What attributes does that thing have? How might they relate to what's going on in the story? For example, in The Mandalorian, armor isn't just armor. It is also Mando's self; his religion, his job, his soul, all in one package. When he says "My armor has lost its integrity. I may need to start from the beginning" -- he might just be talking about metal, but we know he has just handed a baby over to a monster. His soul and his armor are in the same state.
Tommy Orange uses spiders and public transportation, among other things, as symbols in his book.
Find more reading tips at Cornell's How to Read Closely page.
There There by Find extensive further reading and resources about Native American heritage and current issues in the library's online guide and curated book collection.
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