Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Removed

This book was trippy, unsettling, and stunning. The story is told through multiple perspectives, with three from present day characters and one from Tsala, an important person in Cherokee legend. There is not a clear line between the spirit world and our world, and one of the characters struggles with drug addiction, so things are not always as they seem. This felt like literary fiction with splashes of horror. The ending had me feeling a little confused, sad, but also hopeful. I don’t want to say more for fear of spoiling anything, but I’ll leave this quote:

𝘞𝘺𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴.
“𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬.” 𝘞𝘺𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

This was also my first read in my 2021 challenge to myself to read at least 12 books by Indigenous authors. Things I googled (and would recommend googling) to enhance my reading experience: the Trail of Tears, Tsala, and the Darkening.

While I don’t think this book is for everyone, I recommend it, especially to people who enjoy literary fiction, who like weird books, who appreciate morally grey characters, and who like seeking connections across seemingly disparate storylines.

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happiestwhenreading's review

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I largely believe Native American voices are missing from mainstream books, so I am really happy to see them getting more attention. After reading Betty towards the end of last year, I knew I wanted to continue reading books, not only written by Native American voices, but books that also incorporated Native American beliefs, customs, and mythology.

The synopsis for The Removed promised all of those things, but unfortunately, it totally fell flat for me. I went into it blind, so I think at least part of the problem was my misguided understanding of what the book was about. I was expecting a thriller, but more of a contemporary fiction + magical realism/mythology story.

I loved how Hobson explored the effects of grief on each of Ray-Ray’s family members. It looked different for each of them, and I was immeditately drawn to the reality of that situation. I also liked how Hobson created a dreamlike quality in his writing; I almost felt like I was in a fever dream for most of the story. Unfortunately, the rest of the book – character development, ease of reading, and the overall story – felt underdeveloped and left me wanting more. It was a valient effort considering this is Hobson’s debut, but it ended up being lackluster for me.

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thesaltiestlibrarian's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.

Brandon Hobson wrote a book that is less than 300 pages, but has enough content and meaning to unpack that you could teach half a unit on this book by itself. The Removed killed me. But it healed me too.

I don’t want to get into specifics, because now that I’ve finished it, this book needs to be experienced going in blind. The blurb gives you as much as I want to give you, just enough to prepare you for the hardness of the subject matter. Brandon Hobson does the rest.

At once heartbreaking and sublime, Hobson’s prose and characters force you to come back and finish the story. I was about a third of the way through and had considered DNF-ing this, but I’m SO glad that I didn’t. I can’t place my finger on where--maybe the halfway mark--something hooked me again, and I had to know how everything would turn out. What started out as confusion and frustration became sudden epiphany and perfect sense when the climax dropped me into falling action. All the questions I’d had got wrapped up and answered, and I’m still feeling the squeeze in my heart more than twelve hours after finishing the last sentence.

What a beautiful little book. Current, horrible, sad, healing. I hate this book for making me love it so much.

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

The best way I could describe The Removed is a stretched out feeling of longing that lingers even after the book ends. The book switches perspectives between four characters: Maria (the mother), Sonja (the daughter), Edgar (one of two sons), and Tsala (an ancestor); all of whom reflected on various themes including life and death, one’s connection to the spirit world, and their position in the world (not only within the family and community, but also racially as Native).

Each character presented a unique perspective and different focus, though Hobson masterfully intertwines the four “stories” to be in dialogue with one another, particularly that of the Echota family (Maria, Sonja, and Edgar) and their grieving over the death of the older son, Ray-Ray, who was murdered by a policeman. The story itself is centered on the day leading up to the anniversary of Ray-Ray’s death, and the family’s attempt to bring everyone together again (geographically, and to some extent, temporally) for this moment. Between these three characters’ perspectives existed Tsala’s story, which was the shortest and set in the past, but also my favorite. He brought to light the horrors of the forced relocation of several Indigenous nations, including the Cherokee, and the violence they faced. However, it was the glimpses of beauty through Cherokee myth, spirits, and respect for nature that entranced me. And this care for one’s roots spilled into the other three’s lives, who make numerous references to the importance of nature, the spirit world, and their ancestors/family. Despite their various griefs and trauma, all four characters shared moments of beauty in their lives. Hobson presented tragedy, but also added tinges of beauty that complicated the meaning of life and death; not just for these characters, but also in general.

This book deliberately takes its time and encourages the reader to do so as well. Hobson writes with what felt like a wish for readers to pause and reflect on our position in the world through these characters’ emotions and experiences. It may be a slow read, but it’s a beautifully crafted one.

Note: I received an ARC of The Removed in exchange for an honest review from Ecco and NetGalley.

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Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Removed by Brandon Hobson

hippiegrrl's review

leekaufman's review

suzyreadsbooks's review

caroline_hutchison's review

darcyreadssometimes's review

happiestwhenreading's review

thesaltiestlibrarian's review

jayisreading's review against another edition