This is another one that I read for my book club, and I might or might not have picked it up otherwise. The synopsis makes it seem like it does stray too far from the things I usually read, but the content was a little out there for me.
The Removed follows a dysfunctional family comprised of Maria, the mother who struggles to manage the family, Earnest, the father, who has Alzheimer’s, Edgar, the son, a drug addict who fled home years ago, and Sonja, the daughter, who leads a solitary life except for her romantic spells. Their other son, Ray-Ray, died years ago but the bonfire, the one night where they try to remember and celebrate his memory, is approaching so Maria tries to get the family together. However, in that week they all experience a blurring between the physical and spiritual worlds.
This book uses a lot of Cherokee myths, folklore, and history to weave the story of this family, which did make it interesting. However, the writing style wasn’t my favorite and I was quite bothered by a few of the characters and the pace of the book. It started out at a regular pace, but, towards the end, it seemed like the author had a page limit and needed to fit the rest of the plot into it. It was generally rushed and, while I am a fan of somewhat ambiguous endings, this book ended almost unexpectedly and it felt like there should have been more, or something after.
In general, it wasn’t my favorite but it was interesting to think about and discuss because of some of the events that happen towards the middle and end and due to the folklore it utilizes.