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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Removed was a interesting book that I overall enjoyed reading, but was definitely lost at times.
This story follows a Family of Cherokee heritage from Oklahoma. A few years prior the family loses their oldest son Ray Ray to unprovoked police violence that never reaches justice. This tragedy fractures the family in ways that even the family cannot comprehend. The mother is extremely depressed, the father starts struggling with the early stages of Alzheimer's, the daughter becomes sexually reckless, and the youngest son devolves into a life of drugs. In order to keep the family together, the mother starts hosting yearly bonfires on the anniversary of Ray Ray's death. She's hoping to get the family together this year for one last bonfire, but all the family members are currently in the mist of dealing with some very spiritual turmoil and it's not clear if everyone will make it.
I really appreciate Hobsons attempt to involve so much Cherokee mythology and tradition. However, since I am not well-versed in Cherokee mythology in particular, I feel like a lot of text was lost to me and I know that I missed key points in the story. I don't feel like the mythology was well set up for someone who is not familiar, and therefore not easily accessible to a lame and reader like myself. however, I will say that this book absolutely intrigued me to learn more about Cherokee mythology so in that aspect, it definitely hit a good mark. I did find myself looking up several different things online and finding several different stories associated with the things I was looking up. So I need to find some text that more accurately will describe what I was reading. But if you're looking, just read a book and enjoy a story and are not familiar with Cherokee mythology this one might be a miss for you without more research.
This story follows a Family of Cherokee heritage from Oklahoma. A few years prior the family loses their oldest son Ray Ray to unprovoked police violence that never reaches justice. This tragedy fractures the family in ways that even the family cannot comprehend. The mother is extremely depressed, the father starts struggling with the early stages of Alzheimer's, the daughter becomes sexually reckless, and the youngest son devolves into a life of drugs. In order to keep the family together, the mother starts hosting yearly bonfires on the anniversary of Ray Ray's death. She's hoping to get the family together this year for one last bonfire, but all the family members are currently in the mist of dealing with some very spiritual turmoil and it's not clear if everyone will make it.
I really appreciate Hobsons attempt to involve so much Cherokee mythology and tradition. However, since I am not well-versed in Cherokee mythology in particular, I feel like a lot of text was lost to me and I know that I missed key points in the story. I don't feel like the mythology was well set up for someone who is not familiar, and therefore not easily accessible to a lame and reader like myself. however, I will say that this book absolutely intrigued me to learn more about Cherokee mythology so in that aspect, it definitely hit a good mark. I did find myself looking up several different things online and finding several different stories associated with the things I was looking up. So I need to find some text that more accurately will describe what I was reading. But if you're looking, just read a book and enjoy a story and are not familiar with Cherokee mythology this one might be a miss for you without more research.
I liked this book, but parts of it weren't as intriguing to me as others. I wish there had been more to it. I enjoyed Maria's parts the most. (Read for Audacious Book Club)
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
This was so lackluster. I lost interest around halfway through and had to skim the last 50 pages so I wouldn’t DNF. Sonja’s character was so unlikable and, for me, a bit irrelevant to the entire story. Edgar’s character was clearly meant to drive the plot but didn’t develop by the end. I only liked Maria’s POV chapters, and I feel like the book would’ve been better if it were a novella that only focused on Maria’s experience as a foster mom of a boy who was led by her dead son’s spirit.
I'm in the minority here apparently after looking at Goodreads- I loved this book. Just a reminder that reading is subjective and you should read a book if you want to and not rely on ratings/other opinions.
Do not go in expecting a think piece on police brutality or a murder mystery, this is literary fiction at it’s finest. It’s vague on purpose, it makes you think, you have to connect the words in the book to circumstances in your own life. It’s a beautiful piece of Native American/American Indian folklore intertwined with a modern day family.
In the prologue 15 years in the past, we see the wrongful shooting and death of Ray-Ray a native boy living in Talequah, Oklahoma (outside of Tulsa). Since Ray-Ray’s death, his family has been struggling to make sense of the tragedy and move on with their lives. His mom Maria is caring for his Father, Ernest who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. His sister Sonja becomes obsessed with a man named Vin, who sucks tbh, but there is a reason why. His brother, Edgar, was recently left by his girlfriend for his drug use and finds himself in the Darkening Land after a suicide attempt, a place between the living and the dead.
We get to experience folklore of the Trail of Tears and the terrifying impact it had on so many peaceful people. In Oklahoma, we take Oklahoma History during high school and while I learned about the Trail of Tears, we focused more on facts than the impact it had on generations of native people. To this day, this historical event still impacts families and that’s why it’s included in a book about family grief.
No, this book may not be a your cup of tea or something you are interested in reading and that’s okay. What’s not okay is comparing this book to white authors and white stories. It’s okay if you read it and didn’t understand it or even like it- but then move on with your life, don’t tell other people not to read it. Reading is subjective and reviews and ratings should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
I am not Native American/American Indian myself but being from Oklahoma I have a huge appreciation for this story and what it signifies and represents. I encourage you to read this story if you are interested in learning about Cherokee folklore, reading about a family tragedy and the grief that follows, and how the past and present will always intertwine.
Do not go in expecting a think piece on police brutality or a murder mystery, this is literary fiction at it’s finest. It’s vague on purpose, it makes you think, you have to connect the words in the book to circumstances in your own life. It’s a beautiful piece of Native American/American Indian folklore intertwined with a modern day family.
In the prologue 15 years in the past, we see the wrongful shooting and death of Ray-Ray a native boy living in Talequah, Oklahoma (outside of Tulsa). Since Ray-Ray’s death, his family has been struggling to make sense of the tragedy and move on with their lives. His mom Maria is caring for his Father, Ernest who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. His sister Sonja becomes obsessed with a man named Vin, who sucks tbh, but there is a reason why. His brother, Edgar, was recently left by his girlfriend for his drug use and finds himself in the Darkening Land after a suicide attempt, a place between the living and the dead.
We get to experience folklore of the Trail of Tears and the terrifying impact it had on so many peaceful people. In Oklahoma, we take Oklahoma History during high school and while I learned about the Trail of Tears, we focused more on facts than the impact it had on generations of native people. To this day, this historical event still impacts families and that’s why it’s included in a book about family grief.
No, this book may not be a your cup of tea or something you are interested in reading and that’s okay. What’s not okay is comparing this book to white authors and white stories. It’s okay if you read it and didn’t understand it or even like it- but then move on with your life, don’t tell other people not to read it. Reading is subjective and reviews and ratings should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
I am not Native American/American Indian myself but being from Oklahoma I have a huge appreciation for this story and what it signifies and represents. I encourage you to read this story if you are interested in learning about Cherokee folklore, reading about a family tragedy and the grief that follows, and how the past and present will always intertwine.
The Removed is a difficult novel. It discusses poignant subjects such as police brutality, racial discrimination, and drug addiction while rapidly fleshing-out its wide cast of characters. I love books with multiple narrators, and I can't help compare this to another recent novel featuring Native American characters, Tommy Orange's There, There. In short novels that contain a multitude of narrators like these, the strength of the book lies in the strength of the characters--and unfortunately The Removed didn't follow through how I wanted it to.
The plotline I had the most issue with (like I'm assuming many other readers) was Edgar's. I understood it was a lengthy allegory for and included important commentary on the history of white colonization, but it felt so out of place compared to the rest of the book. I didn't care for how much of the book Jackson and his "game" took up, but I did appreciate Edgar's encounter with . Overall, having so much of the book's magical realism occur in Edgar's chapters kept the plot tonally inconsistent for me. Sonja's plotline was underwhelming for me as well, and I wanted greater resolution out of her situation.
My favorite plotline was easily Maria and Ernest, as I felt like the magical realism elements worked much better through the connection of Wyatt and Ray-Ray. These chapters were easily the most meditative and emotional for me, and I felt they could have been further expanded into the rest of the book. I wasn't super pleased with the meeting of Maria and, but I suppose it was realistic given the continued oversight of by our judicial system. I'm looking forward to what Brandon Hobson does next, as there was clearly a solid groundwork with The Removed.
The plotline I had the most issue with (like I'm assuming many other readers) was Edgar's. I understood it was a lengthy allegory for
Spoiler
limbo/deathSpoiler
TsalaMy favorite plotline was easily Maria and Ernest, as I felt like the magical realism elements worked much better through the connection of Wyatt and Ray-Ray. These chapters were easily the most meditative and emotional for me, and I felt they could have been further expanded into the rest of the book. I wasn't super pleased with the meeting of Maria and
Spoiler
the cop that killed Ray-RaySpoiler
police brutality
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced