makealongstorycourt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
2.0
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.
thatsoneforthebooks's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars for brilliant writing, 3.5 stars for ease of understanding
rrickman33's review against another edition
5.0
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.
brettpet's review against another edition
3.0
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 brutalitysnwdngo's review against another edition
1.0
I truly disliked this book. Edgar and Sonja are horrendous characters that I could not relate to or have empathy for. I did enjoy the chapters about Maria and perhaps could have enjoyed the book more if it was only from Maria's perspective.
ohemgee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
spiderlilies's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.0
livrad's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how exactly to rate this. It took me a long time to get into the story at all, at least 30 percent of the way in. There are a lot of characters and a lot of threads that need to be followed, and there's so much woven into the story--things from history, hints of current events, Cherokee culture, the child welfare system.
By the time I was 75 percent into the book, I was starting to be really impressed and began to make comparisons between this and _Sharks in the Time of Saviors_, which will probably be on the list of top reads for my year. Both books look at modern and historical lenses about the effects of colonialism and racism on indigenous people, legend, sense of place (or displacement), and magical realism. One of them just does it far better than the other.
Considering how pleased I was feeling at the 3/4 mark, I was expecting the book to finish strong. However, all of the characters and threads basically hung there, without being woven together at the end or having their own resolutions. It was a bit of a disappointment.
(Plus, there were some weird hints of Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching meets Jumanji that never manifested either.)
What I really wanted more of were the legends and history from Tsala and more of Maria and Wyatt's story in the book.
By the time I was 75 percent into the book, I was starting to be really impressed and began to make comparisons between this and _Sharks in the Time of Saviors_, which will probably be on the list of top reads for my year. Both books look at modern and historical lenses about the effects of colonialism and racism on indigenous people, legend, sense of place (or displacement), and magical realism. One of them just does it far better than the other.
Considering how pleased I was feeling at the 3/4 mark, I was expecting the book to finish strong. However, all of the characters and threads basically hung there, without being woven together at the end or having their own resolutions. It was a bit of a disappointment.
(Plus, there were some weird hints of Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching meets Jumanji that never manifested either.)
What I really wanted more of were the legends and history from Tsala and more of Maria and Wyatt's story in the book.
mcrenshaw96's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75