The Removed

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Teeped in Cherokee myths and history, this novel explores a fractured family grappling with the tragic death of their son, Ray-Ray, killed in a police shooting fifteen years ago. The Echota family remains suspended in grief: Maria, the mother, struggles with her husband Ernest's Alzheimer's; their daughter Sonja lives in solitude, marked by intense romantic obsessions; and their son Edgar, who fled home, turns to drugs to escape his feelings of alienation. As the annual bonfire approaches—a time to remember Ray-Ray and a rare opportunity for the family to connect—Maria seeks to bring them together despite their emotional distances. As the bonfire nears, each family member experiences a blurring of the lines between the living and the spirit world. Maria and Ernest take in a foster child who seems to help Ernest's mental fog. Sonja becomes fixated on Vin, a man tied to her past tragedies. Meanwhile, Edgar, following a suicide attempt, finds himself in the mysterious Darkening Land, a realm between life and death where past atrocities resonate. Drawing on Cherokee folklore, the narrative intertwines the real and spiritual, delving into trauma, family, grief, and the enduring power of stories.