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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
3 Stars
See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf.Inspiration Instagram
“We reveal ourselves to those who will look. It has been said we are illusions, nightmares, and dreams, the disturbing and tense apparitions of the mind.” - The Removed.
This book follows the Echota family fifteen years after their son Ray-Ray was killed in a police shooting. Since his death, the mother, Maria, struggles to manage the onset of Alzheimer’s in her husband Ernest. Their adult daughter, Sonja, leads a life of solitude punctuated by spells of dizzying romantic obsession. And their son, Edgar, fled home a long time ago and turned to drugs to mute his feelings. With the annual family bonfire approaching- an occasion marking both the Cherokee National Holiday and Ray-Ray’s death, Maria tries to call the family together from their physical and emotional distances. But as the bonfire nears, each of them feels a strange blurring of the boundary between normal life and the spirit world.
This was a fairly quick read that has tons of Cherokee myths, imagery, and history in it. The myths that were shared in the book were so interesting to me and I felt that they really fit into the story well. However, I definitely missed some of the connections between the imagery, and some of the symbolism did go over my head. The book was written in a poetic way, that really made you think and form these connections on your own. Because I missed some of these, I had a ton of questions at the end of the book. But when reading other reviews, I was able to see some of the connections I missed. So I think with another re-read I will be able to make further connections of my own. Overall, this is a beautiful story with a lot of depth. I would also love to read more books written by Native American authors so if you have any recommendations please let me know.
** January 2021 Book of the Month Pick **
See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf.Inspiration Instagram
“We reveal ourselves to those who will look. It has been said we are illusions, nightmares, and dreams, the disturbing and tense apparitions of the mind.” - The Removed.
This book follows the Echota family fifteen years after their son Ray-Ray was killed in a police shooting. Since his death, the mother, Maria, struggles to manage the onset of Alzheimer’s in her husband Ernest. Their adult daughter, Sonja, leads a life of solitude punctuated by spells of dizzying romantic obsession. And their son, Edgar, fled home a long time ago and turned to drugs to mute his feelings. With the annual family bonfire approaching- an occasion marking both the Cherokee National Holiday and Ray-Ray’s death, Maria tries to call the family together from their physical and emotional distances. But as the bonfire nears, each of them feels a strange blurring of the boundary between normal life and the spirit world.
This was a fairly quick read that has tons of Cherokee myths, imagery, and history in it. The myths that were shared in the book were so interesting to me and I felt that they really fit into the story well. However, I definitely missed some of the connections between the imagery, and some of the symbolism did go over my head. The book was written in a poetic way, that really made you think and form these connections on your own. Because I missed some of these, I had a ton of questions at the end of the book. But when reading other reviews, I was able to see some of the connections I missed. So I think with another re-read I will be able to make further connections of my own. Overall, this is a beautiful story with a lot of depth. I would also love to read more books written by Native American authors so if you have any recommendations please let me know.
** January 2021 Book of the Month Pick **
There were aspects of the story I found engaging, but overall, the characters did not work their magic on my attention.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
This book is told from multiple perspectives. I was moved by Maria's perspective of losing family to violence, drug addiction and illness. While Edgar's storyline became bizarre and the metaphors presented were quite overt, I still felt compelled by his story. The interjections from the spirit, Tsala, helped me step into a world filled with spirits. I found myself annoyed and confused by Sonya's story line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Dementia
Moderate: Drug use, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Colonisation
Minor: Confinement, Racism
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really could not get into this book. It was all over the place and it was so hard to even connect with any of the characters or storylines.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think this was not my season to read this book. It was heavy— full of aching sadness… well written but not what I needed right now.
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated