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wren_in_black 's review for:
The Removed
by Brandon Hobson
Steeped in Cherokee lore, this book had great potential. It successfully lives up to some of that potential.
The book focuses on three members of the same family, Maria (the mother), Sonja (the daughter), and Edgar (the son). Fifteen years before the events of this story, Maria's middle child, Ray-Ray, was killed by a police officer for a crime he did not commit. There was no trial for his murderer and the family fell into grief in their own separate ways. Maria suffers internally, trying her best to hold things together, remembering everything, wanting to forgive and yet not being able to - the way most of us react to grief. Sonja won't let herself settle. She frequently starts new relationships with younger men, relationships she knows won't last. Edgar falls into a drug habit that sabotages his relationship with his family and his girlfriend. Ernest, Maria's husband and the children's' father, is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's.
The story begins when a foster child comes to Maria and Ernest for a temporary placement. They are the only Cherokee family who can take in this boy. But the boy reminds Maria and Ernest so much of Ray-Ray. He revitalizes the older couple and brings joy back into their lives.
Sonja begins a relationship with a man who has a young son, named Luka. This boy too reminds her of of her brother.
The crux of the novel focuses on Edgar. He was so young when Ray-Ray died. He barely remembers his brother, but he grew up chasing Ray-Ray's shadow nonetheless. He is absent from his family's collective life and the major question of the novel becomes, "What happened to Edgar?"
Each family member encounters Ray-Ray's spirit and the spirits of their ancestors in some way. This is the most beautiful part of the novel and it was very well done.
I wish the book would have given some more exploration to Sonja's story and to Ray-Ray's actual death. A young, unarmed, non-white boy shot by police is a timely story. I wish we could have explored that event at least a little bit more and how it tied in with the half-explored theme of forgiveness.
Overall, this was a good book. I didn't love it. I certainly didn't hate it. I look forward to what this author publishes in the future.
The book focuses on three members of the same family, Maria (the mother), Sonja (the daughter), and Edgar (the son). Fifteen years before the events of this story, Maria's middle child, Ray-Ray, was killed by a police officer for a crime he did not commit. There was no trial for his murderer and the family fell into grief in their own separate ways. Maria suffers internally, trying her best to hold things together, remembering everything, wanting to forgive and yet not being able to - the way most of us react to grief. Sonja won't let herself settle. She frequently starts new relationships with younger men, relationships she knows won't last. Edgar falls into a drug habit that sabotages his relationship with his family and his girlfriend. Ernest, Maria's husband and the children's' father, is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's.
The story begins when a foster child comes to Maria and Ernest for a temporary placement. They are the only Cherokee family who can take in this boy. But the boy reminds Maria and Ernest so much of Ray-Ray. He revitalizes the older couple and brings joy back into their lives.
Sonja begins a relationship with a man who has a young son, named Luka. This boy too reminds her of of her brother.
The crux of the novel focuses on Edgar. He was so young when Ray-Ray died. He barely remembers his brother, but he grew up chasing Ray-Ray's shadow nonetheless. He is absent from his family's collective life and the major question of the novel becomes, "What happened to Edgar?"
Each family member encounters Ray-Ray's spirit and the spirits of their ancestors in some way. This is the most beautiful part of the novel and it was very well done.
I wish the book would have given some more exploration to Sonja's story and to Ray-Ray's actual death. A young, unarmed, non-white boy shot by police is a timely story. I wish we could have explored that event at least a little bit more and how it tied in with the half-explored theme of forgiveness.
Overall, this was a good book. I didn't love it. I certainly didn't hate it. I look forward to what this author publishes in the future.