Scan barcode
suzyreadsbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Drug use, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Cancer and Gore
caroline_hutchison's review
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racism
keatynbergsten's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a beautiful and haunting story of a families grief and how each person dealt with it. Very little action occurs but you truly get a feel for the families grief and how their ancestral influences helped them to cope and overcome it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Dementia, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
mmefish's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I saw, too, the manifestations of others like me: the roaring bear in the woods; the soulful, howling coyote; the eagle circling in the endless sky; and I knew I was not alone. A satisfaction came over me when I saw these things, and for a moment I felt my anger lift away in the silence of the night. I was calmed by the sounds and visions of the night as I moved forward. I thought of what I taught you, beloved: harmony and peace. Anger is like flooding water, slowly building destruction.
Beautiful, sad and captivating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Stalking
Minor: Animal cruelty
leahsbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m honestly not sure how to rate this book. I loved the premise of the story, but it just didn’t seem to carry over from concept to actuality. However, there were some parts of the book that were great. The way that the story addressed the effects of intergenerational trauma and incorporated it as a running theme throughout the book was done really well.
I’m not familiar with Indigenous history (beyond the basics) or culture, and have only recently started reading some literature written by Indigenous authors. I loved seeing Cherokee history and mythology incorporated into the story, although it didn’t always feel as though these were integrated seamlessly into the rest of the story.
While the story begins with a relevant and incredibly timely event, the unwarranted shooting of a young Cherokee boy by a racist cop, this seemed more for shock value, and played such a small role in the plot. Ray-Ray’s cause of death played such a small role in the story, and when it ultimately did pop up later in the book, it led to two ultimately unfulfilling confrontations.
The entire story just felt underdeveloped and unresolved. There was a sense that so much more could have come out of this book, but it just never made the leap. The characters had potential, but wound up being bland. Sonja could have been quite an intriguing character, but fell into an obsessive romantic fantasy with underpinnings of … other, which wound up having a completely unrewarding outcome for both Sonja and me, as the reader. Edgar’s chapters just ramble incessantly at the beginning, with a strange fixation on the word “fowl,” for some reason. His trip into the Darkening Land wasn’t ever really fully explained, and it took a strange detour into magical realism with dark undertones that made less and less sense as the book went on. Maria’s chapters made the most sense to me, but even those felt like there should have been more.
I felt the most connection to Maria, but overall, the book left me wondering about what actually happened. I devoured the book hoping for a sense of closure, but in the end, it wound up feeling … unfinished to me. I wasn’t expecting the book to have such overtones of magical realism, which isn’t a genre that I generally enjoy. So this could have contributed to my confusion about this book, but I’m still feeling confused and torn about this one. I think the idea was great, but it just didn’t really come through for me personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Dementia, Grief, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Confinement, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Mental illness
natalieba's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gun violence
happiestwhenreading's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Genocide
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, and Stalking
averydriver's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Racism
readingwithtaco's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
jayisreading's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Grief, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer and Homophobia
More...