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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an incredibly interesting book. It has a little bit of magical realism, steeped in the culture of Cherokee Indians. The theme of removal runs throughout the book - Ray Ray being removed from his life by a racist cop, Ernest's memory being removed, and the family's ancestors being removed by soldiers - and the impact of Ray Ray's removal reverberates throughout the family and has different effects on each person. The family also struggles with constant micro- and macro-aggressions that re-traumatize them, and they continue to try to strive and rise above. I haven't read nearly enough works from Native American authors, and this spurred me to read more.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was a really beautiful book about family, ancestors, deeply rooted grief, and ultimately, faith that those who came before you will see you through. It was beautifully written, honest, gripping and heartbreaking at times. It will make you think, make you cry, make you angry...it’s an incredible novel.
Not a terrible book, but I’m personally not a big fan of constant character pov changes each chapter. The story itself follows a Cherokee family slowly falling apart after a son was murdered by the police. Going forward a couple years, the parents are fostering a boy they belief to be a reincarnation of their deceased son. Each character had their flaws, but they started figuring things out in the end.
Agh, I mostly really enjoyed this however the way it ended left me wanting more.
There isn’t a huge amount of plot but I was definitely interested enough in the characters stories to be engaged in what was happening. I know a lot of readers felt the characters weren’t fleshed out well enough but I didn’t personally think this was an issue. I do wish this had maybe only been a couple of POV’s, instead of four, as I enjoyed hearing from certain characters over others.
But overall, I would recommend this one. Especially as the Cherokee folklore aspects were beautiful and fascinating!
There isn’t a huge amount of plot but I was definitely interested enough in the characters stories to be engaged in what was happening. I know a lot of readers felt the characters weren’t fleshed out well enough but I didn’t personally think this was an issue. I do wish this had maybe only been a couple of POV’s, instead of four, as I enjoyed hearing from certain characters over others.
But overall, I would recommend this one. Especially as the Cherokee folklore aspects were beautiful and fascinating!
I’ve been loving books by Native/Indigenous authors lately, but this one didn’t do much for me. The story and the writing was only ok, but I see potential for bigger things from Hobson.