<u>The Removed</u> is a contemporary fictional account of a Cherokee family struggling to fit their lives back together again after a tragic event.

Interspersed with Cherokee myth, the multiple POVs were interesting but felt very disjointed. Not a lot happened, (or in the case of Edgar's chapters, too much happened too quickly). While I felt that the characters were well written and the premise was interesting, the pacing was off and I just struggled to get wrapped up into the saga of the Echota family.

Maria and Ernest's son Ray-Ray was killed fifteen years ago in a police shooting. The Removed follows the weeks leading up to the annual bonfire marking the Cherokee holiday and Ray-Ray's death. Maria while caring for Ernest who suffers from Alzheimers also takes in a foster child who has a substantial impact of Ernest's health. Sonja is Ray-Ray's sister. She becomes obsessed with a man who has a connection to her brother's death. Edgar is Ray-Ray's brother. He walks the line between the dead and the living. He also surrounds himself with some extremely racists friends. I connected to Maria and Ernest's storyline the most. Having a young teen in their house again really brought forth all the memories of the son they lost.

Brandon Hobson's Own Voices novel introduces us to a modern-day Cherokee family still reeling from the fatal shooting of their teenage son /sibling fifteen years ago at the hands of an overzealous policeman. Through multiple POVs, the author showcases the deep impact the death has had on each member of the Echota clan, in particular mother Maria, a kind-hearted social worker who cares for her Alzheimer's afflicted spouse, Ernest; older sister Sonja, who has troubled, and at times obsessive romantic relationships with men; and younger brother Edgar, long gone down the path of addiction but who yearns to be centered by his girlfriend and perhaps his own family, who continue to exhort him to return home after their interventions . Interspersed throughout are anecdotes from Tsala, a family ancestor who perished on the Trail of Tears and who introduces the reader to (presumably well-known) Cherokee folklore. As a first time reader of Native American fiction, I found the Tsala sections to be very moving, and the most illuminating.

The narrators' all have their own arc, with Maria and Ernest temporarily housing a special young Cherokee boy who cheerfully embodies their late son, Ray Ray, and who energizes Ernest, whose memory loss is mysteriously and unfailingly restored. Sonja's latest romantic entanglement is with a younger, problematic single dad whose own autistic son reminds Sonja of Ray Ray, while Edgar - broke and with few options after his long-suffering girlfriend Rae cuts him loose - travels to and bunks with an old friend in The Darkening Land, an otherworldly place filled with drugs, illness, and rampant racism against indigenous people. The most touching and clearly articulated stories is that of Maria, while Edgar's anecdotes - straddling both earthly and mystical settings was confusing and for me, hard to follow. Meanwhile, Sonja's journey was a cringeworthy trip down a road of self-loathing...until her surprising ending when her behavioral motivations become evident.

Ultimately, this not a novel of "action", and the four different viewpoints (plus signficant time dedicated to the foster child Wyatt and Ernest) underpins how this is very much a family drama and character study in one. Some of the stories worked for me, but many (mainly Edgar, Sonja, and sometimes Tsala) were haphazardly organized and did not advance the story nor tap on my emotions to unlock any true caring for the principal figures. But I appreciated the education about the Cherokee present-day experience and introduction to its culture - and for that, it is a novel worth exploring for any non-Indigenous readers interested in these aspects.

Sincere thanks to #NetGalley, #HarperCollins, and Brandon Hobson for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

2.5 stars.

An interesting premise, but, I just didn’t enjoy how this one panned out. The plot itself is very timely and attention-grabbing. However, it just didn’t feel... finished. It felt more like a rough draft. The storytelling was very disjointed & there were so many parts of the story that weren’t fleshed out enough, leaving me, as a reader, feeling a bit frustrated with the ending and story itself. However, it *is* a book that you’ll think about for a while after reading. Hence why I’m rounding up to 3 stars.

I do appreciate NetGalley & Ecco Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Removed is a novel about many things, including but certainly not limited to: police brutality, prejudice, drug addiction. trauma and loss, and spirituality. Not all of these elements are explored in a way that resonated with me, but the exploration of Cherokee myth and spirituality was extremely compelling and makes this book worth the read.

The story follows the point of view of 3 different family members and an ancestor of said family. The connection to myth and spirituality in this novel reminds me of the great Leslie Marmon Silko novel, Ceremony. While the impact of the novel doesn't quite land like Ceremony, it's still a great exploration into a world that I don't often read about.

I ultimately felt let down by the books conclusion, as it felt a little rushed and underwritten. Even with an ending that I felt let down by, I read through the book briskly and was entertained and hooked throughout. The story doesn't provide enough conflict or resolutions to the conflicts presented, but there is enough here to make this book a soft recommend. 3.5 stars.

I hesitated for just a week to read this book and I'm sorry I even waited that long -- once I was in, I was in and I just couldn't stop reading. It's hard to describe this book except to say it will break your heart but also leave you with hope -- it seamlessly intertwines the past and present and leaves you with questions. And yet, it was so beautifully written and crafted that I know I will return to it.

I highly recommend this to fans of literary fiction! This book is so good. The Removed came out earlier this month on February 2, 2021, you can purchase HERE, and I hope you consider reading this one!

My beloved son: time among the dead is mysterious. Time among the dead does not exist the way humans experience it during life. Time may be felt: U-di-tle-gi, u-hyv-dla!

Look to the sky, and there we are, soaring like hawks, circling in the air. We are the birds appearing like a string of red berries against the clouds. We are all around, the deities to cover every expansive body of land. We are bathed in rainwater, flying together. We are a sparkle of blue light inside rocks, the swift rising of smoke and dust, forming the hazy outlines of bodies.

We are speakers of the dead, the drifters and messengers, the old and the young, lurking in the shadows of tall trees at night, passing through the walls of abandoned buildings and houses, concrete structure, stone walls and bridges. Weare the ones watching from underwater, rising up like mist, spreading like a rainstorm, over fields and gardens and courtyards, flying over towers and rooftops and through the arched doorways of old buildings with spider cracks in their walls. 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. We are always restless, carrying the dreams of children and the elderly, the tired and sick, the poor, the wounded. The removed.

A novel about a Cherokee family living with grief 15 years after the middle son is murdered by a police officer. The book moves between perspectives of three of the family members as well as a guide from the spirit world.
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Hobson has taken a small intimate story of one family, and turned it into a meditation on grief and generational trauma. The ways we hold on or let go. The ways we become obsessed. THE REMOVED is a haunting book that combines the tangible with the spiritual, the personal with the collective.
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I’m normally very skeptical of otherworldly elements, but not in this book. It’s enmeshed in the story in a way that enhanced my reading and drove home the ways that racist violence against human beings (individuals & entire communities) has lasting effects. That there are no new experiences, but rather a building on the pain of our ancestors. This book has many subtle moments with profound impact.
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I, of course, wanted more plot, which we do get toward the end, but I’m greedy and wanted more from the start. The middle was a little slower for me. But overall, the moodiness worked for me and I was hooked from the start. I did have a strange thought while reading this book, which was, I didn’t care how the book ended. It sort of didn’t matter, all possibilities would work. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. It’s just what came up for me.

Great book. I enjoyed the Native American storytelling mixed in the book. I grew up next door to a Native American Reservation so this book peaked my interest and didn't disappoint. #netgallery

A lyrical and beautifully written book. This wasn't a quick read and it wasn't easy but it was worth it. I think Hobson has a great voice and I hope he will continue to write. I felt really connected to the characters in this story and felt their feelings as if they were my own.

A story of grief, struggle, and hope. Well written and creative format, alternating between time and perspective. A slow plot with some action near the very end. There’s a lot more to this seemingly quiet novel than initially meets the eye - oodles of symbolism, deeper meaning, and enduring questions.

The Removed by Brandon Hobson is an emotional book, contained emotionality. Their son, Ray-Ray, was killed by an over-eager mall cop, pretty much because his skin was brown and the other boys were white. He didn't have the gun, one of the white boys had. Very year they have a bonfire to commemorate his death. This year is different. Their other son is who-knows-where doing who-knows-what; taking drugs, probably. They have a foster child, which is hard because of Ernest progressing dementia. He is like Ray-Ray in so many ways, Ernest gets them confused. They are all Cherokee, living in Oklahoma. The story is infused with Cherokee legend and wisdom. It is a lesson in how difficult life can be, but how good at the same time. The narration of the story travels from person to person, giving them all personalities and us insights into them. It is not easy. The history is not easy. The reality is not easy. One reason to read to visit places you've never been and live lives you'll never live. These are outstanding lives to lead, just so you know.

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Removed by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #theremoved

A huge thanks to @netgalley and @eccobooks for the ARC.
There are books that you come across that are unlike everything else you read and this is one. Seeped in Cherokee culture, author, Brandon Hobson takes us on a journey of a family torn apart by tragedy.
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This is not a light hearted story, rather it is thought provoking and timely, as it showcases a family 15 years after a police shooting. The chapters offer different character POV’s and I have to say that Edgar and Sonja really tore at my heart strings. To see how the trajectory of their lives changed (not for the better) after their brother was shot.
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I am literally still thinking about the ending over two weeks later! Use caution if you have triggers, as this book does not shy away from the hard topics. If you do not have triggers, this is a Jan selection for BOTM that you can add on. If you like deep, diverse reads - this one is for you!

Pair with the comfort food and drink of your choice.

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.

“The Removed” has a lot of themes built into it: Ancestral trauma. Police brutality and injustice. Illness and Alzheimer's. Addiction and codependency. Forgiveness and healing. Grief and love.

Oklahoma is the setting for a Cherokee family who loses a son to police violence 15 years prior. While the mother tries to heal from this horrible catastrophe, she’s also consumed with taking care of her aging husband with Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, the other two children have issues of their own. Their daughter falls for someone with an odd connection to her brother’s death. And the other son, Edgar, battles addiction and enters the mysterious Darkening Land: a place between the living and the dead.

This book straddles the spiritual world and modern-day world. And this is what tripped me up as a reader. I wasn’t always sure what was real and what was imagined.

The character I was most drawn to was the foster child who comes to live with the family. He brings joy, hope and healing. Is he Ray-Ray reincarnated with special powers? He seems to almost miraculously heal the father’s memory issue.

The books author, Brandon Hobson, says that the title is the connection between the removal of Cherokees in the 1800s and the removal of a young boy from his family's life. It’s also about police violence against Native teens, and the violence against Natives for more than 200 years.

He asks the tough questions: What is justice? And what is healing? And how do we heal?


Thank you to Ecco for providing me with an eArc, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Echota family still struggles after all these years to come to grips with the tragic death of Ray-Ray, the oldest boy. Family members peel layers of the story back chapter by chapter. Edgar, from a drug-induced haze; Maria, from a loving mother’s struggle to keep the family together while she takes care of her husband with is fleeting memory; Sonja, from the angst of a grieving, vengeful older sister.

Interspersed, Tsala, a Cherokee living during the time of the Trail of Tears, shares his prophecies and stories of the old ways.

Each scene peels back another layer into the mystery of Ray-Ray’s death and how his family members have struggled. The results of generational trauma invade the lives of each family member in a different way. Much of the book seems devoid of hope.

The book is not easy to read, but it is necessary to read. I read most books of this length in a day or two, but The Removed took weeks. The sorrow contained within its pages requires time to sit with the grief. Multiple points of view (Maria, Sonja, Edgar, and Tsala) seem disparate and the reader wonders how the author can bring closure to the story before the final act.

Hobson, a Cherokee who gained knowledge of Tsala from translating his grandfather’s notebook into English, skillfully weaves the legends and beliefs of the Cherokee into a story of present-day pain and grief.

In the end, the reader feels a glimmer of hope for the future of a people who have been removed. We need to read more own voices books in order to gain respect for other ways of seeing the world This book is a good place to start.

This was definitely an odd one. It's a story about a family struggling to live with the lost of a beloved family member. Told from 3 alternating POV - mother, sister and brother. There is also another POV, a sort of folklore narrator that is telling you stories intermixed between the other chapters. Each family member's story is odd. They have taken wide turns in their lives since Ray-Ray was murdered and, this year in particular, they seem to be struggling.

But I found the sister's POV to be very list like - first she did this then this. I read a few paragraphs where it detailed what she ate, where she sat, a game she played then went for a smoke. The mother's POV was a little easier - she's taken in a foster child, Wyatt and sees a lot of similarities to her son, Ray-Ray.

The brother, by far, was the oddest of the chapters. He seems stuck in a town after following a stranger there. The chapters are slow with little detail until pretty late to really tell you what's going on. Instead it's almost in a drug or sleep-deprived haze and very little of it seems to make sense.

I wish I'd connected better with this story but I just found it disjointed and odd.

I really enjoyed this book.

The Removed tells the story of the Echota family, a Cherokee family dealing with their grief. 15 years ago Ray Ray was killed in a police shooting. You follow the characters through the process of grief and the struggles they are facing.

The Removed is told in multiple POVs. Maria, the mother, is still trying to find her way while taking care of her alzheimer's husband. Sonya,the oldest sister, who is obsessed with romance and solitude. And Edgar, the baby brother, who has turned to self medicating and drugs. I enjoyed all of the characters but Sonya. I found Sonya to be creepy, stalkish, and a loose canyon.

I really found myself looking forward to Maria and Edgar's story. Marie, took in a foster child, and the happiness and.the ability to help heal Ernest was incredible. I was able to relate to Edgar the most. His struggles with addiction and racism made for a powerful story line.

The Removed is also deep with Cherokee history and their spiritual beliefs. I enjoyed learning some of their history, and the struggles they dealt with in the past and the present.

Thank you to netgalley, harpercollins, and Brandon Hobson for my arc.

I was able to read an ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley, and was excited to dive in. I suppose I figured I was in for something in the same vein as There There, unpacking the modern experience of the Native American experience. Long story short - I didn't find the similarities, though some of the differences were positive and others negative.

At the end of the day, I finished up The Removed and wanted to like it more than I found myself actually liking it when I took honest stock of where I was at. The writing is strong, and Hobson does a great job of offering perspective of a myriad of characters (I suppose - though cannot state with firsthand certainty - that it's difficult to convincingly write from the point of view of a wayward twenty-something drug addict stuck in a weird purgatory, 30-ish female, 60-ish female, and 150-yo long-dead ancestor of those previously referenced).

I really liked the forays into mythology and spirituality, but didn't always see the point. It felt a little bit like mythology because Hobson constructed an excuse to talk about mythology, rather than serving a real narrative purpose.

And that - ultimately, is why I am left at 3*. I read this book with excitement, enjoyed it well enough to finish, and probably won't pick it up again. Too much in the book seems to be without purpose. A grieving family struggles to move on, with no resolution or conclusion.

Too many characters plot lines seem to just aimlessly trail off into oblivion, which for all I know might be the point: midway through the book, a character asks his foster parent for assistance editing a school assignment, pointedly asking what the parent thinks of him ending his essay with an ellipsis (...). That's how it felt every story line ended, but in an unsatisfying way. Storylines start to arc towards conclusion, then just drift off into space with no finality, resolution, or coda. I finished the book and felt like I was right back where I started (as were all the characters, save one whose story arc does seem to have some sense of an 'ending').

This was a reasonably quick read and would make a good read on a lazy weekend, but not one that I feel will stick with me. Solid 3*.

I wanted to love this book so much. But it just wasn’t for me.
There were a lot of content I didn’t fully understand. I do know that there was magical realism which I think it what confused me.
I did think the story line was good. A family on the brink of falling apart find start to find their way to some sort of normalcy.

The Echota family suffers the scars of the police shooting and death of their son, Ray-Ray, years later and in ways they can't even understand. Ernest's Alzheimer's is progressing, Maria is trying to hold them all together, Sonja's vacillates between apathy and fixation, and Edgar's descent into drugs worries the whole family. They plan to have a bonfire on the anniversary of Ray-Ray's murder, also a Cherokee Holiday, and the book weaves their narratives and experiences together.

I normally don't mind multiple viewpoints but it was a bit disjointed for my taste. It was very ambitious and I do not think I comprehended all the different plot points or story threads woven through out, as the references were too fleeting or undeveloped for me to understand. This book was haunting and thought-provoking... but didn't quite make sense as I read it or as I reflect.

Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book!