![]() ![]() ![]() It’s not surprising, and may not even be a coincidence, that the anniversary of Ray-Ray’s death is also the anniversary of the beginning of the Trail of Tears. The family is mired in profound grief and trauma, including trauma from the forced removal of their Cherokee ancestors to Oklahoma in the 19th century. Sonja is a restless loner, hooking up with and discarding younger men. Maria is patient and caring as Ernest sinks deeper into what everyone believes is Alzheimer’s disease. The remaining family consists of mother Maria her husband, Ernest their daughter, Sonja and surviving son, Edgar. Many years before, the teenage Ray-Ray was the victim of what’s called a “bad shoot” in police lingo. The story revolves around the Echota family of Quah, Oklahoma, as they prepare for a bonfire to commemorate the death of their son Ray-Ray. A word for such a story might be numinous, which ably describes Brandon Hobson’s splendid The Removed. ![]() The location may be a real place, like Oklahoma, but as you read, you’re not really sure if it’s set anywhere in particular. It may be set in the present, but its roots reach deep into the past. Once in a while, you come across a book that seems to exist in its own bubble of space-time. ![]()
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