readingwithkaitlyn's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Drug use, Gun violence, Dementia, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide, Stalking, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Confinement, Alcohol, Addiction, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Injury/injury detail, Torture, Genocide, Colonisation, War, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Car accident, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Fire/Fire injury
Trail of tears, f slur, s slur.emperorcupcake's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so baffled by the low rating for this. This was beautiful, the kind of book that makes reading a joy. I don't even have any dumb nitpicky criticisms, there isn't anything I'd change. I'd give it 5 stars 100 times if I could. uggh it's so stupid to assign ratings to art, even stupider to believe it.
I don't know what people were hoping to find here and found lacking, but this was everything I wanted it to be. Yeah I guess it's one of those "weird" books that won't hit for everybody, but it wasn't that weird. It wasn't dense or incomprehensible, in fact I found it super readable. I really liked the easy storytelling style and all the imagery, the way the supernatural elements are woven into the modern world. It feels like a story out of time, but also timely. A story of kindness and forgiveness. If you enjoy stories about Native American experiences and myths, or just want a great book about family, give this a try. It pulled me in pretty much immediately.
I don't know what people were hoping to find here and found lacking, but this was everything I wanted it to be. Yeah I guess it's one of those "weird" books that won't hit for everybody, but it wasn't that weird. It wasn't dense or incomprehensible, in fact I found it super readable. I really liked the easy storytelling style and all the imagery, the way the supernatural elements are woven into the modern world. It feels like a story out of time, but also timely. A story of kindness and forgiveness. If you enjoy stories about Native American experiences and myths, or just want a great book about family, give this a try. It pulled me in pretty much immediately.
ktindol's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lovelynat08's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
colindac's review
5.0
Brilliant. Hope to see this in the hands of students in Indigenous Studies courses.
laurelinwonder's review
3.0
Well the subject matter was interesting, important, and the writing was good, this was a slow dream a little too slow even for me. There were parts that I didn't understand why it was included even by the end of the book. I'm sure they were there to make the characters feel more whole and for us to see their turmoil and self-destructive patterns. But overall it was just an important story that I kind of ended up skimming through a little bit.
ipask's review
4.0
This novel was a slow burn for me. I found myself more gravitated towards some of the characters perspectives than others. The last third of the book blossomed for me—all of the pieces of this family, their history, and their pain started to fall into place and deepen in color and texture. Hobson writes from such an important and often overlooked perspective and asks to confront and reimagine death.
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
2.0
"The Removed" was an okay reading experience for me. When I started, I was reading it in short bursts, which was confusing. I was wondering if it was a short story collection at first. Towards the end, I was listening in bigger chunks, and that helped me see how the chapters connected. At that point, I loved it. I'd read this book again. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators did a phenomenal job.
bethpreston's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
shelf_inspiration's review
3.0
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 **