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kimveach's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I didn't understand all of it while I was reading it. I wish I had read this article from NPR first:
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/02/963361391/author-brandon-hobson-on-his-new-novel-the-removed
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Grief, Gun violence, Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Genocide, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
colettesjourney's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Toxic relationship
stevie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, and Genocide
toshita's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
thesaltiestlibrarian's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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.
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Genocide, Death, Cursing, and Child death