3.5 - While I enjoyed the premise and the story told from multiple povs, I wanted more. I wanted more backstory on the incident with Ray-Ray. I wanted to hear what happened with Edgar. I wanted to know more about Wyatt and his story. Ernest’s seemingly unexplained return of memory. What did the doctor think about all of it? I didn’t expect it to be all tied up in a pretty little bow, but there were way too many questions left unanswered for my taste. Far and away Maria’s chapters were my favorite. Loved the lore interwoven throughout.

I'm always happy to read books that I would not have otherwise read or been interested in. And The Removed is so good. It's deep and even a little dark at times. But the story is good. It's a shorter book, so I was able to get through it in a couple of readings. And overall, I really did enjoy it.

4/5 Stars

he Echota family has lost one of their sons, Ray-Ray to police brutality. He is shot at a mall after getting in a scuffle with two White boys. The police officer hears what he thinks is a gunshot and takes aim and fatally shoots Ray-Ray. He did not have a gun. He was the victim of the attack.

Every year on the anniversary of his death the family holds a bonfire to honor his memory. The Removed takes place in the days preceding the 15th anniversary. The story is told from the perspectives of Ray-Ray's mom, his sister Sonya and his brother Edgar. Despite the time that has passed the effects on the family are still quite dramatic. Maria suffers from panic attacks, Edgar has a substance abuse problem and Sonya behaves recklessly. Ernest has been lost to them as his Alzheimer's progresses.

Then Maria and Ernest take on a native foster child who shares an uncanny resemblance to their Ray-Ray. The similarity goes beyond appearance. He seems to have the same mannerisms as well. Ernest and Maria come to believe that he just might be their Ray-Ray's spirit come back to them.

Throughout the novel you also hear stories of the ancestors through Tsala. Through him we experience the Trail of Tears and the connection that passes through the generations. The Removed is full of magical realism, visions and Cherokee mythology.

A couple of years ago I read Where the Dead Sit Talking after it was nominated for the National Book Award. I thought that was a strong debut. But this is an even stronger sophomore effort.

"Believe you have wings, and you fly. Believe you are an animal and you roar. Believe you are dead in the mud, and you sleep with the worms in the mud. No matter what you decide, provide counsel to your people as they are removed."

The Removed weaves through the stories of Ray-Ray's family. He is a teen boy who was shot and killed by a police officer. The father is losing his memory, the mother is struggling to keep everyone together, the sister is obsessed with her brother's death, and the brother is hanging on by a thread and falling deeper into drug addiction.

Then there is Wyatt, a foster child who comes to the parents for the week leading up to the anniversary of Ray-Ray's death. His presence brings peace and excitement to the parents. 

Then there is Tsala,  who was killed by soldiers at the start of the Trail of Tears, who foresaw the removal of his people. My sense was that Tsala was present throughout time and space, counseling his people as they were removed, whether by soldiers, substance abuse, trauma, or illness. I have more theory about Tsala but to say it would be a spoiler so I'm ending on that note.

A look into Native American culture. Highlights universal themes and issues facing families. Very thought provoking.

This book was one of those that pulled me in from the get-go, yet I wasn’t sure why 😅 It was super intriguing and I really loved the Native American folklore tied into the story, but I will say, I felt like I missed something. Like some aspect of the story went over my head.

This story is told from multiple POVs, with a Native American spirit thrown in the mix. I love multiple POVs so I did really enjoy that!

With that said, you should definitely give it a try. This is a book that people either really love or really don’t love 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was a good read, I just felt like I needed a bit more to further develop the overall storyline.

If you’ve read this one, what did you think?? I’d love to hear your thoughts!! Maybe help me make sense of all the thoughts I have running around in my head!

Brandon Hobson’s The Removed takes the prize for my most powerful, haunting read of 2020-early 2021. An Oklahoma Cherokee author teaching creative writing at the University of New Mexico, Hobson melds Cherokee folklore and history with contemporary Native American life in Northeast Oklahoma.

Appropriately, Hobson gives the surname Echota to the story’s central family, Echota in Tennessee being the first de facto Cherokee capital and New Echota in Northwest Georgia being the second following Echota’s destruction as white settlers displaced the Tennessee Cherokees.

The author sets much of his story in or near Quah, Oklahoma, referring to the state university, street names, and restaurants/bars located in today’s Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation's current capital and cultural center following the forced Cherokee Removal under the Indian Removal Act.

The Prologue opens on September 5, fifteen years before the novel’s present and just before the Echota’s older son Ray-Ray was killed by a police officer, who mistakenly assumed the “Indian” kid was the one who fired a gun in the mall. Since Ray-Ray’s death on September 6, the Cherokee National Holiday, the Echotas have held an annual bonfire during which family members share memories of their lost son and brother.

The present narration opens on September 1, just days before the next memorial bonfire. Hobson alternates between the points of view of mother Maria Echota and her surviving children Sonja and Edgar, each family member still suffering in his or her own way from the loss of Ray-Ray. To avoid any possible confusion, the author labels each chapter with the current narrator's name.

As Maria deals with husband Ernest, whose Alzheimer’s is worsening, she plans the bonfire menu, hopes for Edgar’s return from New Mexico, writes in her journal, and agrees to temporarily take in a foster child named Wyatt, pending a custodial hearing. Wyatt unexpectedly reminds Ernest and Maria of deceased Ray-Ray as Ernest miraculously regains his memory. Although not a major narrator, during some of Maria's sections, Wyatt relates old Cherokee stories to the family and other children in the foster care system.

Echota daughter Sonja, who lives just down the street from her parents, has a history of dating much younger men and has begun stalking a local white musician and single father named Vin, soon entering into an ill-fated relationship.

Drug-addicted Edgar Echota’s girlfriend deserts him in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Edgar takes a train to an unnamed rotting town identified only as The Darkening Land. There he meets his old high school friend Jackson who takes Edgar home, offering to help him get work with a video game development project in which he says players will compete against a hologram of famed Cherokee athlete Jim Thorpe. To anyone aware of Andrew Jackson’s role in the Cherokee Removal, better known today as the Trail of Tears, Edgar’s old friend’s name is clearly symbolic, and The Darkening Land continually grows darker..

The fourth of the alternating viewpoints is not a member of the immediate Echota family, but an ancient Cherokee spirit named Tsala. Like the Echotas and Jackson, Tsala’s name is also symbolic. It is short for the Cherokee language name for the Cherokee--ᏣᎳᎩ, pronounced Tsalagi. From Tsala’s narrative sections, readers learn his spirit dates back not only to New Echota, but also to the original Echota in Tennessee where he fought with the legendary Cherokee hero Dragging Canoe against invaders set on stealing their lands.

Through Hobson's masterful plotting, Tsala’s and Wyatt's stories gradually merge with each other and with the present lives of the Echota family. Taken together, their individual stories form the story of the Cherokee people.

One of Brandon Hobson’s previous novels, Where the Dead Sit Talking, was a Finalist for the 2018 National Book Award for fiction. A stunning, memorable story of devastating loss and enduring hope, this year’s The Removed deserves a major literary prize in 2021.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ecco/HarperCollins, and Brandon Hobson for an advance reader copy of this unforgettable novel, one I will reread and wholeheartedly recommend. I would not hesitate to award it more than five stars.

A powerful story told in a voice the world needs to hear more. Maria is a mother dealing with depression after her 15 year old son was shot, and her husband is dealing with Alzheimer. Edgar exists in a gloomy world after a suicide attempt, and it reads with the illogical logic of a nightmare. That world's sense of dreadful unease while trying to decipher the meaning behind what was happening was addicting. There is a third voice too, of an ancestor, Tsala, who lived and died during the Trail of Tears, and he shares the stories of his people. I lived for these three POV, for the true grief and hope they struggled with, and their connection to the spiritual world. There is another voice though, Sonja, who I didn't enjoy. She's selfish and dangerously obsessed with a man, and their relationship is the picture of an unhealthy coupling. It does have a point to the overall story, and there is a lesson to learn. I did wish there was one more chapter in her POV after her big confrontation to round out her arc. The book ended on such a powerful note though, I had chills.

The Removed is the story of a family living with the destruction that grief brings over time. Each member (father, mother, brother, and sister) struggles to move forward from the tremendous loss of their teenage boy, shot by a police officer because of his race. While it does have a significant amount of historical content, traveling back in time to what has come to be known as the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the contemporary scenario is all too recognizable to Americans in 2021.

There was so much potential in this one, but ultimately it fails to bring the many pieces together. Some characters’ stories are more successful than others, and emotional investment is fragmented due to constant moving among perspectives, time periods, and locations. A solid read, but one that could have been much more.

Thank you to Brandon Hobson, Harper Collins, and net galley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I really wish that my low rating doesn't keep anyone from reading it because it's a beautiful story told from a perspective that one doesn't often experience. A perspective that's important and should get more opportunities to be expressed.
Hobson's story is a look at all the different ways that loss and injustice can break a person. Add in the tragic element of the Trail of Tears and how viscerally it paints the horrors for the reader, and it's a direct hit to the solar plexus. It's human and heartbreaking, and I'm sad to say that that's partly why I didn't enjoy it as much. I don't know if it's the season, the mindset, or just one sad thing too many, but, even though I connected to the characters, I kept finding reasons to walk away and breathe.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the read.

The Removed follows a family who is grieving the loss of their son, who was murdered by a police officer. I really thought the writing was beautiful and full of pain, sadness, and grief. Every chapter alternates between a family member, which made it that much more powerful. This story takes place leading up to the anniversary of Ray-Ray getting shot by the police. The family will be together again to remember him.

I think what made me enjoy this book was how real the characters felt. They were full of problems and grief, and the author didn’t dance around that. Ernest, the father, is dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. Edgar, the surviving son, is struggling with addiction. Sonja, the daughter, is not in a healthy relationship, it’s almost like it’s an obsession. Not to mention the family also takes in a foster child, that reminds the family of Ray-Ray. As I said before, reading this story from each perspective of the family really makes a deeper impact. I thoroughly enjoyed the author including Cherokee myths/legends as well.

I do feel as though a lot of this book went over my head; I would have to reread it again to fully understand. I did think that some of the writing was a bit over the top and went off point from the book. I was also expecting this to be much longer than it was, and I wish it would have been drawn out. Really though, this was a beautiful book and I really enjoyed it.

Your tbr just got longer, this book is a must read.

The Removed is haunting, devastatingly beautiful, and balances masterfully between Cherokee folklore and reality. Spiritual ancestors guide the way and I enjoyed that journey between reality and the spirit world.. The bits about Alzheimer’s are entirely relatable as my family has struggled with this disease too. Hobson’s writing is piercing. Fans of Tommy Orange {There, There} and Stephen Graham Jones {The Only Good Indians} will appreciate his storytelling.

I loved this fractured family, held space for their grief and brokenness and hoped for their healing. Profound and powerful. Indigenous authors and voices need to be heard and elevated.

Thank you to @netgalley and @eccobooks for my free ARC.

This story will linger with you. A single event reshaped the Echota family. Through a series of short, daily stories, we learn how each one of them was surviving. The stories merge unexpectedly.

Beautiful writing, weaving together the story of the Echota family with Cherokee folklore. I was so drawn into the pieces that described the mythology and how they were then tied back into the family in present day and their forms of processing grief.

I spent awhile with this book- for me, it wasn’t one I could quickly read and aboard the messages of the story. I needed to give it time, and I think some may struggle with this book if they aren’t willing to look below the surface. It would be an excellent buddy or group read to have others to discuss with. I received an arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: addiction, police brutality, physical abuse, Alzheimer’s

There is a lot to unpack in this book and I feel like it would benefit from being read more than once and/or being a book club book as to get different perspectives on it. To start with, I always appreciate any book written from the Native American perspective. This one contains a lot of history and folklore from the Cherokee nation. There is a lot of sadness and grief here, but a lot of beauty and healing as well. It's not a perfect book, and it's not a book that you can just skim casually either. This is a thinker piece. If you commit to reading it and thinking about it, I expect you will enjoy it.

I enjoyed that this book gave me a different perspective about the type family I haven't read before. Unfortunately, I didn't like spending time with all of them. The mother, father, and foster boy were all interesting and compelling to me, but the other siblings I found challenging. Especially Edgar. Ultimately it wasn't the most satisfying read for me.

This was a bit different for me. A very emotional walk through a dysfunctional family’s life. A lot of folklore and fantasy. It was hard to discern which quiet often. I think it comes down to what you believe. I enjoyed the book. It was very engaging. The author developed each character very well. I had to see what was going to happen next, always hoping for the best for Maria. I believe it was written with Edgar as the main character, but Maria, the mother, grabbed my attention.
I appreciate the opportunity to red this ARC by Net Galley.

Mourning the loss of their beloved son and brother, the Echota family has been in a perpetual state of grief. It hasn’t been easy as Ernest, the father, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, his wife is caring for him while still grieving, the daughter, Sonja, is somewhat of a recluse, and the youngest son, Edgar, has a drug addiction. Drawing deeply on Cherokee folklore, The Removed is a genre bending story of family, grief and ancestry.

This book touched on a lot of heavy subjects, and sometimes that can feel a bit overwhelming, yet this one didn’t make me feel overwhelmed at all. The tone was very muted and calm so I enjoyed the way the story was being unfolded. The typical arc didn’t really apply here, which gave it more of that spiritual intonation Hobson seemed to be aiming for. A beautiful recognition of how the Cherokee folklore focused on the symbolism of animals and spirits of their ancestors to be used as a tool or warning sign for their descendants.

The one thing I wondered was why did he choose to use first person narration when no character had a separate voice? I truly think this story could have been much more powerful if told in third person, with maybe having the spirit be the only first person narration. It would’ve given it more of that spiritual vibe and I think would’ve helped the story move along more.

Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the eARC!

3.5 Stars

Ray-Ray Echota’s death devastates his family. It’s been fifteen years, but the pain they feel is still fresh. His parents, Maria and Ernest, struggle to manage their grief alongside Ernest’s worsening Alzheimer’s. Older sister Sonja seeks out solitude, but also obsesses over a romantic partner. Younger brother Edgar turns to drugs. The Removed explores the days leading up to the annual bonfire that celebrates Ray-Ray as well as the Cherokee National Holiday. Those days find grief and hope at a fever pitch as each member of the family navigates the season of rememberance.

An intimate exploration of grief and generational trauma through the eyes of a family that lost a loved one to a police shooting. Recommended for fans of literary fiction revolving around family dynamics, individual and collective grief, or with touches of magical realism.

Wow, this was a book that I had to take a step back and reflect once I finished. Indigenous history and stories were woven in to the story in such a poetic way. This was a serious novel with some strong content warnings for police violence, addiction and drug use, grief, and death of a child. If you can get past that, the story was so well done.

I've seen this billed as contemporary fiction, but it had major literary fiction vibes. This book is haunting and shows each member of a family's grief and how each show it in a different way. It takes a bit to come together but once it does, WHOA.