The Removed by Brandon Hobson
This comment is being written during the Age of Covid. While Americans have been focused more than ever on issues of social and racial justice and its disparate impact on poor and marginalized communities, relatively little has been devoted to Native American Indians. 

One of the most egregious episodes in the US's violent and racist history was the Cherokee Indian Removal Act. During the 1830's, Andrew Jackson ordered over 125,000 Native Americans living on millions of acres of land in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Florida to be relocated to the newly acquired Indian Territory in Oklahoma. The forced removal has come to be known as the "Trail of Tears". It is a brutal, violent, horrid stain that can never be removed, most certainly not from the memories and lives of the ancestors of the atrocities. 

The legacy of the "Trail of Tears" is everywhere is Brandon Hobson's powerful new effort. This is Hobson's turf coming on the heals of the 2018 National Book Award Finalist "Where the Dead Sit Talking". "The Removed" follows the trials and tribulations of one Oklahoma family, struggling to break through the legacy of national abuse and neglect. While the matriarch and patriarch of the Echota family in Quah, Oklahoma have done their best to become productive members of society through their work and raising three children, it is all tenuous and subject to destruction at a moment's notice.

Interspersed in the current day trials and tribulations of the Echota family, the reader is brought back to the roots of the terrors along the "Trail of Tears". Many Cherokee refused to leave and were slaughtered in place for their resistance. Others died on the trail. For those who made it, the spirit of their martyrs lived on, and continue to provide strength, wisdom, and guidance to future generations. 

"The Removed" is beautifully written, utilizing several voices with a narrative that flows together in surprising and surprising ways. It is a sad story, yet still somehow full of hope. It reminds us how horribly European immigrants treated the natives whose understanding of life, nature, and spirituality far exceeds anything that the settlers ever understood. As we know how much we need to reimagine as a society and culture, let us look back to the wisdom of the original inhabitants to help guide us moving forward. 

Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for the dARC. Much appreciated.

The Removed by Brandon Hobson: This was my second second novel in a row that focused on the lives of indigenous people, Cherokee’s. The narrative was captivating from beginning to end shifting between three main characters, all dealing with the loss of their dear brother Ray-Ray. I most enjoyed the connection the family had with nature and how they believed everything was speaking to them, in order to give guidance, peace of mind, and at times hope. Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco books for allowing me an early read of this wonderfully constructed novel.

Pub Date: 16 Feb 2021
Book: 90/101
Star Rating: 4.25

This is a shifting narration novel. I enjoyed hearing the voices of four of the characters, including the voice of one of the ancestors of the Echota family. I was so intrigued by the voice of Tsala, the ancestor, that I would be interested in reading a book just about him. The Echota family is still trying to recover from the death of 15 year old Ray-Ray, 15 years ago. Each character has tried to deal with it in his/her own way. One character turned to drug use and it was some these chapters that I found least enjoyable. Some of these chapters took a very strange turn that felt out of place with the overall tone of the rest of the novel.

The Removed is a story of loss and how it affects a family, even years later. It is an easy, quick read, told in simple language. It follows several different characters as each of them tackles unique struggles in their lives, all of which relate back to the death of their brother/son.

After reading it, I can’t help but feel the book didn’t know what it wanted to be. The whole thing seemed disjointed and I felt like it could have benefited from some tightening up. Sometimes the prose being used was actually TOO simple. I can’t count the amount of times “rotting house” was used in Edgar’s chapters and although it was an ARC copy, there were some awkward grammar mistakes like “didn’t felt cold”. There was also a passage where within a paragraph a character says “In the kitchen I made Papa a glass of water with ice and took it to him in the living room” and then almost immediately after, “In the kitchen I made myself a salad”. Also, I don’t think I have ever heard of someone making a glass of water. Maybe pouring a glass of water or getting a glass of water. It just felt like both the writing and story both could have been tweaked a bit.

Additionally, I felt that Ray-Ray’s death by police shooting should have been explored further as it has almost no bearing on anything in the novel until the very end. Why did the author choose to include death by police shooting if not to explore that theme? Ray-Ray’s death does have an effect on all of the characters, but his death could have been from anything. Overall, this novel was an okay one for me- not great, not bad. I didn’t feel satisfied when I finished reading it, but that doesn’t mean others won’t love it.

The Departed depicts a Cherokee family in the years after the death of their middle son, Ray-Ray, who was shot and passed away as a teen. The novel follows the struggles family face along the way. Ernest is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his wife is barely keeping the family together and son Edgar is a struggling drug addict. It was interesting how differently the grief impacts and molds the characters current life. Many Cherokee myths and beliefs are interwoven throughout the novel making the novel feel much more like a dream rather than realistic fiction. Hands down an excellent read.

The Removed is an incredible book, a book full of honesty and pain and the ethic of keeping on. It's about dispossession and racism, and about youth and age in dialogue with one another. It's got passages of sweeping magnificence and as mundane as describing litter, and it 's all woven together masterfully in a story that will resonate with me for a long time. The characters are real and flawed and their hopes are true and painful: there's the daughter who lies to conceal her hurt and history, the gentle and awkward foster child, the wife watching her husband's dementia whittle him away, the son who has to confront his fears and self-loathing. I felt for all of these characters, and I think other readers will feel for them too. This would be a great book for discussing along with a history of the Cherokee, US colonialism, and race in America today.

Ray-Ray, a Cherokee teen was murdered by a cop. Since that day, his family has created a tradition to share memories of him at bonfire. This year, that might not happen. The struggles of the family are just too great. There is drug addiction, younger men, Alzheimer's and foster children.

This book is a book like no other going off in different directions and with multiple points of view. I really enjoyed learning about the Cherokee beliefs and stories (I am part Cherokee so I love learning about my heritage).
I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it for those looking to learn about other cultures, if you liked Winter Counts your going to like this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

*DNF* Sadly, I was quite 'removed' from this book. While the cover is striking and the premise equally so, I found the narrative confusing and hard to follow. I typically enjoy multi-POV stories but there seemed no rhyme or reason for the construction of much of this book. Although the writing was steady and the characters certainly sympathetic, I found the structure of the book wholly distracting.

”I’m building a monster,” Edgar told him excitedly. He held up his Lego creature and roared.
”Little brother,” Ray-Ray said, “there are enough monsters in this world.”

Set in Oklahoma, members of the Echota family share the story of Ray-Ray, and of the day he was shot, and killed, by a policeman. There is an annual commemoration of the life of that young man, a life that was taken too soon, brutally, and seemingly without reason, and this year marks the fifteenth year after his death. A foster child, a boy who bears a remarkable resemblance to Ray-Ray at that age, will join their family for a time, which adds to the aura of this sanctified moment, and to the poignancy of this story.

Filled with grief, their lives continue, but are forever marked by this loss, and as the years pass other issues plague them. Alzheimer’s, a sense of isolation and estrangement from the desired way of life, and living, alcoholism, drugs, being treated unfairly, as though they were “less-than” others, and taken advantage of by those pretending to befriend them. Despite this, there are moments of joy, even if temporarily, along with several heartbreakingly stunning Cherokee myths involving visions, spirits and how fragile the line between this world and the spirit world. I especially loved reading these, often imparting a moment of beauty in a world filled with so much calamity and heartbreak.

There is an essence of the sacredness of life throughout this story, appreciating this gift of life, and of working toward resolution and absolution, recognizing the weight of the past and holding the good memories in our hearts. The past, possessing a lingering, sacred aura as simply one part of this journey we call life.


Pub Date: 16 Feb 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Ecco

“Look, look. The stories all have something in common, right? They’re like medicine, but without the bad taste, right? It’s good for you.”

Nearly fifteen years ago young Cherokee teenager Ray-Ray Echota was murdered by a cop. Since then, his family has created a tradition in which they share memories of Ray-Ray at an annual bonfire. This year though, the family struggles might not allow that to happen. Sonja, Ray-Ray’s older sister is harboring an attraction to a much younger man. Edgar, their younger brother, battles a drug addiction. Meanwhile their father Ernest is losing his mind to Alzheimer’s and mother Maria is just trying to hold everyone together. To make this year even more chaotic, Maria and Ernest open their home to a young teenager in the foster care system; one who reminds them strongly of their lost Ray-Ray.


The Removed is a powerful and dynamic story told from multiple points of view within the Echota family, with Cherokee myths and stories blended beautifully into the story. I absolutely loved this book, and was caught off guard many times by the directions it took. This book only narrowly missed out on 5 stars from me, because I feel like some of the sucker punches The Removed throws don’t lend themselves to as impactful rereads. That being said, you should definitely check out this one when it’s released on February 16th, 2021!!

Disclaimer: I received an e-proof of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Departed follows a Cherokee family fifteen years after the death of their middle son, Ray-Ray, who was shot by the police as a teenager. Ray-Ray was a curious, creative boy, and each family member mourns his loss. Recently, the family is struggling—Maria tries to keep the family together, Ernest has Alzheimer’s, Sonja is focused on meeting a younger man, and Edgar is addicted to drugs. I enjoyed the unique perspective each character has in their grief, and in the strange turns the novel takes as the occurrences in their lives begin to intersect with Cherokee myths and the spirit world. There are also many references to the Trail of Tears. Edgar’s sections were my favorite, I loved how creative they were!

The Removed is a novel following the life of a Cherokee family living in Oklahoma fifteen years after a cop shot and killed their son, Ray-Ray. The book is told from the perspective of the Echota family members days before their annual bonfire commemorating Ray-Ray’s life, despite their fractured lives filled with depression, drugs, Alzheimer’s, alienation, and loneliness.

This is not just a book about everyday hurting and pain—the book takes strange turns and twists as you begin to lose sight of the line between the living and the dead. Cherokee myths swirl around the Echota family as they prepare for the bonfire, a strange foster son coming to them that seems just like Ray-Ray, and their son ending up in a town that seems to be straight out of the Twilight Zone. Chapters are interspersed with Cherokee stories told from spirits’ point of view, helping the non-Cherokee reader understand the importance of the stories often repeated and remembered by the Echota. They encounter apparitions and spirits, signs and omens, strange visions that they seem far more accustomed to receive than any white people would have. I’m sure I would have been running for the hills, surely, if I saw a whole line of people marching through my home in the middle of the night.

Because of this blur between the spirit world and the waking one, the book feels almost like a dream at times. I would fall asleep after reading it only to have strange, vivid dreams that I were sure came from pages of the book but could not pin down what passages they sprung from. Though I didn’t always understand what was going on, particularly in the beginning, the book had a deep impact on me, and not only for teaching me more about Cherokee history and legends. It’s a poignant piece on grief, forgiveness, finding the sacred in the profane, and the importance of remembering the past.