The Echota family, of Cherokee heritage, is trying to navigate modern American life while dealing with the continued prejudices and stereotypes existing in society. Maria and Ernest Echota had three children. One of their children, Ray-Ray, was shot and killed by a police officer in Quah, Oklahoma. The officer heard a gunshot and instinctively decided that it must have been the Indian who shot it. The police officer was cleared of wrongdoing, and the Echota family was left to deal with their grief. The shooting took place on September 6, which is the Cherokee National Holiday. It marks the anniversary of the 1839 signing of the Constitution of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Starting on the tenth anniversary, the family marked Ray-Ray’s death and the Cherokee National Holiday with a family bonfire. Most of the story’s action leads to the fifteenth anniversary when it is not clear whether Edgar, the younger son, will choose to attend the annual family bonfire. He has been struggling with drug addiction, and although the family had sponsored an intervention, he was in contact less frequently as the anniversary approached.
Brandon Hobson includes different characters’ points of view: Maria, Edgar, and Sonja (the oldest child of Maria and Ernest). We also hear the voice of Tsala, who is sharing traditional Cherokee stories and wisdom. Still, his stories’ role relative to the family isn’t apparent until later in the story. Each character deals with Ray-Ray’s death differently, and each is profoundly bothered by it, especially because it represents such an injustice for the Cherokee people. Sonja seems obsessed with a much younger man named Vin, and when she finally meets him and spends time with him, she realizes that he has many undesirable traits. For one thing, he doesn’t realize how offensive his demand that Sonya “talk like an Indian” is. And he is physically abusive. Vin has a son named Luka, and Sonya sees Ray-Ray’s spirit in him.
Maria Echota is a retired social worker for the tribe, and she and Ernest decide to foster a young boy named Wyatt. Wyatt has many interests and personality traits that remind them of Ray-Ray. Although Edgar ends up getting involved with a friend who is looking to exploit him and his Cherokee heritage, he also has a vision that reminds him of Ray-Ray. So, the family members are coping by seeing that Ray-Ray’s spirit is alive in their world.
Hobson uses this compelling narrative to show how the human psyche reflects Cherokee beliefs. I am not an expert on Cherokee culture, but I know that there is a belief that there is a spiritual connection to many things. I think that the Cherokee see birds as symbols, messages, and omens. A fowl haunts Edgar. Since I read the Kindle version of the book, I searched and found that the fowl is mentioned 63 times. Edgar is the most troubled of the main characters and storytellers; the fowl continually reminds him that he is going astray, far from his family’s values. Included in the text is the idea that eagles are considered messengers in Cherokee mythology. There are numerous references to eagles and owls in the text, with the owl figuring into some of the book’s most touching passages. The owl seems to represent not only wisdom but also transitions, including the transition from life to death.
The book is beautifully written. Usually, when I know I have to write a review, I will take notes to remember what I want to say. I found myself so involved in the modern family drama that I didn’t stop to take many notes. Hobson includes themes and messages pertinent to all Americans, such as police violence, drug addiction, and mental illness. These themes and others could be any family’s story, not necessarily just a Cherokee family’s.
Additionally, the family connectedness, the mother’s concerns and worries about her children, and the siblings’ views about parental expectations are universal themes. However, interspersed in everyday life of sending text messages, ignoring them, and researching potential lovers on Google are interesting and disturbing reminders about how the American government sponsored the Removal of Indians. The Removed, a carefully chosen multi-layered title, emphasizes the Trail of Tears, which was part of a series of forced relocations of approximately 100,000 Native Americans between 1830 and 1850, also known as the Indian removal. The title also describes each character’s condition: Maria’s depression, Sonya’s relationship choices, Ernest’s Alzheimer’s, and Edgar’s drug addiction.
This author has achieved his goal of writing a general interest novel that includes essential messages about Native Americans. It is not didactic; it is engaging in the way of Louise Erdrich’s books. Its message also reminds me of Diaz’s In the Distance and Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Who are the real savages when discussing Native Americans?
I received this book free from Netflix in exchange for an honest review.
