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The Berry Pickers
A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a community, and remains unsolved for nearly fifty years.
July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.
In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.
For readers of The Vanishing Half and Woman of Light, this showstopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.
In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.
For readers of The Vanishing Half and Woman of Light, this showstopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
307 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2023
About the author
Amanda Peters
2 books929 followersAmanda Peters is a writer of Mi’kmaw and settler ancestry. Her work has appeared in the Antigonish Review, Grain Magazine, The Alaska Quarterly Review, the Dalhousie Review, and filling station magazine. She is the winner of the 2021 Indigenous Voices Award (IVA) for unpublished prose and a participant in the 2021 Writers Trust Rising Stars program. Amanda has a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto and she is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe New Mexico. Amanda is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Theatre at Acadia University. She lives and writes in the Annapolis valley Nova Scotia with her fur babies Holly and Pook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,895 reviews
May 2, 2023
The Berry Pickers is an immersive and stunningly written debut novel by Amanda Peters.
Every summer, a Mi’kmaq family travels from Nova Scotia to Maine to pick berries. A few weeks into the season, the youngest child, Ruthie, vanishes without a trace. Her older brother Joe was the last person to see her. That fact will sit heavy with him for years to come.
Norma grows up in a wealthy household but is plagued with dreams that she cannot understand. And her loving but controlling mother refuses to discuss them. As Norma grows older, she realizes her parents are hiding something from her.
This beautifully written novel follows Joe and Norma’s perspectives. This is a moving and powerful story with sprinkles of Indigenous humour here and there.
It discusses the loss of language and culture, the threat of residential schools, and MMIW. But it also shines a light on the importance of family. Even with the heavier topics, there is a sense of hopefulness by the end.
The story slowly drew me in, and by the end, I wished there were more pages. Both of the main characters completely captured my heart.
I highly recommend adding this wonderful debut to your TBR as soon as possible.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
Every summer, a Mi’kmaq family travels from Nova Scotia to Maine to pick berries. A few weeks into the season, the youngest child, Ruthie, vanishes without a trace. Her older brother Joe was the last person to see her. That fact will sit heavy with him for years to come.
Norma grows up in a wealthy household but is plagued with dreams that she cannot understand. And her loving but controlling mother refuses to discuss them. As Norma grows older, she realizes her parents are hiding something from her.
This beautifully written novel follows Joe and Norma’s perspectives. This is a moving and powerful story with sprinkles of Indigenous humour here and there.
It discusses the loss of language and culture, the threat of residential schools, and MMIW. But it also shines a light on the importance of family. Even with the heavier topics, there is a sense of hopefulness by the end.
The story slowly drew me in, and by the end, I wished there were more pages. Both of the main characters completely captured my heart.
I highly recommend adding this wonderful debut to your TBR as soon as possible.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
December 8, 2023
4.5⭐
In the early 1960s, four-year-old Ruthie, the youngest daughter of a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia, disappeared from a blueberry field in Maine where her family was employed for the summer. With almost no help from the authorities on account of their “transient” status, Ruthie’s family and their coworkers desperately search for her but to no avail. Ruthie’s brother Joe, six years old at the time, was the last to see her and her disappearance would haunt him for years to come. Devastated and heartbroken, Ruthie’s family struggles to hold on to hope that she is alive and will return to them someday.
“It’s funny what you remember when something goes wrong. Something that would never stick in your memory on an ordinary day gets stuck there permanent.”
Norma has vague memories of her life before she was five years old. Growing up in Maine, the only child of a judge who is a tad distant and an overprotective mother, she is an inquisitive and perceptive child. Her vivid dreams, hushed conversations between her family members and her mother’s nervous reaction to her questions about their family do not escape her attention. She senses that there is much about her life that does not feel right – a belief that follows her into adulthood. Years later, after both her parents have passed on, her aunt shares the truth about their family – a revelation that will leave fifty-four-year-old Norma with more questions than answers.
“Fate is a trickster. He likes to set up all the clues just to see if you can put them together and make sense out of things you never thought to make sense of in the first place.”
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters is an incredibly moving story that revolves around themes of family, identity, loss, hope and grief. Spanning fifty years, the narrative is shared from dual perspectives in alternating chapters. Despite the non-linear transitions between past and present timelines, the narrative flows well and is not difficult to follow. Please note that there is no mystery here, and it is the journey of these characters that takes center stage in this novel.
The structure of the narrative allows us to explore the contrast between the trajectories of Norma’s and Joe’s lives and how one traumatic event impacts their individual worldviews. The author’s strength lies in her character development and depiction of complex human emotions. Losing Ruthie casts a shadow on Joe’s life and his being the last one to see her before she disappears haunts him throughout his adult life, and though there are aspects about adult Joe that might not arouse sympathy there's no doubt that he is a broken man and the author compels us to take a deeper look into his heart despite his flaws. Norma’s life is one of searching for a sense of belongingness despite growing up in the security of an affluent family who cares for her deeply. Given her trajectory, Norma’s reactions were commensurate with her character, though at times, especially toward the end, I thought Norma’s perspective could have been explored in more depth. However, this does not detract from the overall impact of the novel. The author approaches sensitive topics such as grief, the loss of a child, alcoholism, discrimination, and terminal illness, among others, with much sensitivity and compassion. Overall, I found this novel to be a thought-provoking, compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend to those who enjoy emotionally charged family sagas.
I look forward to reading more from this talented debut author in the future.
“Even people who exude light and happiness have dark secrets. Sometimes, the lie becomes so entrenched it becomes the truth, hidden away in the deep recesses of the mind until death erases it, leaving the world a little different.”
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch, who have done a wonderful job of breathing life into these characters and setting the tone for this beautifully written story.
Many thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for ALC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Berry Pickers was published in the United States on October 31, 2023.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
In the early 1960s, four-year-old Ruthie, the youngest daughter of a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia, disappeared from a blueberry field in Maine where her family was employed for the summer. With almost no help from the authorities on account of their “transient” status, Ruthie’s family and their coworkers desperately search for her but to no avail. Ruthie’s brother Joe, six years old at the time, was the last to see her and her disappearance would haunt him for years to come. Devastated and heartbroken, Ruthie’s family struggles to hold on to hope that she is alive and will return to them someday.
“It’s funny what you remember when something goes wrong. Something that would never stick in your memory on an ordinary day gets stuck there permanent.”
Norma has vague memories of her life before she was five years old. Growing up in Maine, the only child of a judge who is a tad distant and an overprotective mother, she is an inquisitive and perceptive child. Her vivid dreams, hushed conversations between her family members and her mother’s nervous reaction to her questions about their family do not escape her attention. She senses that there is much about her life that does not feel right – a belief that follows her into adulthood. Years later, after both her parents have passed on, her aunt shares the truth about their family – a revelation that will leave fifty-four-year-old Norma with more questions than answers.
“Fate is a trickster. He likes to set up all the clues just to see if you can put them together and make sense out of things you never thought to make sense of in the first place.”
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters is an incredibly moving story that revolves around themes of family, identity, loss, hope and grief. Spanning fifty years, the narrative is shared from dual perspectives in alternating chapters. Despite the non-linear transitions between past and present timelines, the narrative flows well and is not difficult to follow. Please note that there is no mystery here, and it is the journey of these characters that takes center stage in this novel.
The structure of the narrative allows us to explore the contrast between the trajectories of Norma’s and Joe’s lives and how one traumatic event impacts their individual worldviews. The author’s strength lies in her character development and depiction of complex human emotions. Losing Ruthie casts a shadow on Joe’s life and his being the last one to see her before she disappears haunts him throughout his adult life, and though there are aspects about adult Joe that might not arouse sympathy there's no doubt that he is a broken man and the author compels us to take a deeper look into his heart despite his flaws. Norma’s life is one of searching for a sense of belongingness despite growing up in the security of an affluent family who cares for her deeply. Given her trajectory, Norma’s reactions were commensurate with her character, though at times, especially toward the end, I thought Norma’s perspective could have been explored in more depth. However, this does not detract from the overall impact of the novel. The author approaches sensitive topics such as grief, the loss of a child, alcoholism, discrimination, and terminal illness, among others, with much sensitivity and compassion. Overall, I found this novel to be a thought-provoking, compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend to those who enjoy emotionally charged family sagas.
I look forward to reading more from this talented debut author in the future.
“Even people who exude light and happiness have dark secrets. Sometimes, the lie becomes so entrenched it becomes the truth, hidden away in the deep recesses of the mind until death erases it, leaving the world a little different.”
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch, who have done a wonderful job of breathing life into these characters and setting the tone for this beautifully written story.
Many thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for ALC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Berry Pickers was published in the United States on October 31, 2023.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
May 23, 2024
What a book!! And to think that I didn’t even want to read this book, and it is now one of my all time favorites! Did the title appeal to me? No. The cover? Not so much. The synopsis? Not really. But when I opened up this book, each page just took my breath away. I can’t remember the last time I read a more magical, compelling book. I felt like I personally knew each character and experienced every sliver of pain, grief, and trauma that they went through. I didn’t ever want this book to end.
This story starts off with a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arriving in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Of the five children, Ruthie is the youngest at only four years old. One day while sitting by a big rock near her brother Joe, she suddenly vanishes. A search went on for weeks without much help from the local authorities. Ruthie was never found. Her brother Joe was only six years old at the time, but for all his years he held out hope that she was still alive. Joe also carried around a ton of guilt as he was the last person to have seen Ruthie before she vanished.
“And besides, when a person dies, there’s a finality to it, a heaviness that comes with all endings.”
We also have the story of Norma. Norma lives a very sheltered life, with a mother and father who keep a very tight leash on her. She is well cared for, but often feels that things just aren’t quite right. Norma also has recurring dreams that her mother tells her are just nonsense. Why does she feel an emptiness inside, and will it ever go away?
While we could guess where this story was going, it didn’t matter because it was so beautifully written. A friend of mine at work gave me this book to read, and because he’s an avid reader at 90 years old (yes you read that right), I couldn’t say no. All I can say is that he picks better books than I do, and moving forward I will be asking for more book recommendations from him because this book was a total winner 🏆 One that I highly recommend reading!
“Time quickens the older you get, as if the universe is trying to push you toward the finish line, to make room for the younger, the stronger, to mark your brief place in history and move on.”
This story starts off with a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arriving in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Of the five children, Ruthie is the youngest at only four years old. One day while sitting by a big rock near her brother Joe, she suddenly vanishes. A search went on for weeks without much help from the local authorities. Ruthie was never found. Her brother Joe was only six years old at the time, but for all his years he held out hope that she was still alive. Joe also carried around a ton of guilt as he was the last person to have seen Ruthie before she vanished.
“And besides, when a person dies, there’s a finality to it, a heaviness that comes with all endings.”
We also have the story of Norma. Norma lives a very sheltered life, with a mother and father who keep a very tight leash on her. She is well cared for, but often feels that things just aren’t quite right. Norma also has recurring dreams that her mother tells her are just nonsense. Why does she feel an emptiness inside, and will it ever go away?
While we could guess where this story was going, it didn’t matter because it was so beautifully written. A friend of mine at work gave me this book to read, and because he’s an avid reader at 90 years old (yes you read that right), I couldn’t say no. All I can say is that he picks better books than I do, and moving forward I will be asking for more book recommendations from him because this book was a total winner 🏆 One that I highly recommend reading!
“Time quickens the older you get, as if the universe is trying to push you toward the finish line, to make room for the younger, the stronger, to mark your brief place in history and move on.”
April 26, 2024
Unsatisfying and lacking in intensity. I only kept listening to find out the why behind Ruthie's disappearance, the rest of the story was too uneventful and unimpassioned to maintain momentum or really invest in the characters.
The interwoven story lines took a different route than I imagined. It's not that I was expecting a mystery, but I was thinking Norma would be more questioning about herself throughout and it would play a more central role to the entire book.
The story spans decades, often passing over large gaps in time, and felt too scattered to develop the characters or the narrative in a thorough and effective manner. I didn't find the writing to be descriptive enough of people or happenings, the characters were two-dimensional, and what you did learn about them was told rather than shown. I often felt like I was being given just the basic facts in a broad and sweeping outline.
I did like Joe's character, which was rather sad given Norma's prominent role, I should have liked her character more but Joe's character was more emotionally developed. I did wonder why the author chose to only share his and Norma's perspectives as it only seemed to hamper the author's possible objective.
I most enjoyed the first few chapters as they showed the family connection and also the last few chapters as they showed the family coming to terms with an altered family and how and where each person fit in. An okay book, with a real shortcoming in the fact that other themes lurking below the surface could have been explored more deeply and which would have likely bolstered the less satisfying parts.
The interwoven story lines took a different route than I imagined. It's not that I was expecting a mystery, but I was thinking Norma would be more questioning about herself throughout and it would play a more central role to the entire book.
The story spans decades, often passing over large gaps in time, and felt too scattered to develop the characters or the narrative in a thorough and effective manner. I didn't find the writing to be descriptive enough of people or happenings, the characters were two-dimensional, and what you did learn about them was told rather than shown. I often felt like I was being given just the basic facts in a broad and sweeping outline.
I did like Joe's character, which was rather sad given Norma's prominent role, I should have liked her character more but Joe's character was more emotionally developed. I did wonder why the author chose to only share his and Norma's perspectives as it only seemed to hamper the author's possible objective.
I most enjoyed the first few chapters as they showed the family connection and also the last few chapters as they showed the family coming to terms with an altered family and how and where each person fit in. An okay book, with a real shortcoming in the fact that other themes lurking below the surface could have been explored more deeply and which would have likely bolstered the less satisfying parts.
October 26, 2023
July 1962
A Mi’kmaq family in need of money traveled from Nova Scotia to Maine to work in the berry fields. One day, four-year-old Ruthie went missing. Her six-year-old brother, Joe, was the last person to see her, and he will be haunted for the rest of his life about her disappearance and the last minutes they spent before she went missing.
Norma grew up in Maine with a distant father and hoovering mother. She has recurring dreams that feel like memories. She has always had questions and will spend decades trying to uncover what secrets her parents are keeping from her.
This is a slow, sad tale about a family whose daughter went missing without a clue and about a woman who wants to uncover a family secret. Family is a major theme in this book about loss, secrets, anger, family, identity, and heartbreak. I appreciated how the author showed the aftermath of losing a child, of not having any answers, how it impacts the family as a whole and the individual family members. The author also showed how feeling different, having questions, and secrets impacted another individual.
I enjoyed this book, but it was lacking that little bit of something that would have made the book more enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and struggled initially with the male narration. I am not sure if this impacted my thoughts on the book, but it was a struggle in the beginning. I found that I had a hard time connecting to the characters even with them experiencing great loss and the impact it had on their lives. Although this book does deal with some heavy subjects, it does end on a hopeful note.
Many are enjoying this book more than I did, please read their reviews as well.
This book will have triggers for some as it deals with loss, addiction, miscarriage, illness, and kidnapping to name a few.
Thank you to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
A Mi’kmaq family in need of money traveled from Nova Scotia to Maine to work in the berry fields. One day, four-year-old Ruthie went missing. Her six-year-old brother, Joe, was the last person to see her, and he will be haunted for the rest of his life about her disappearance and the last minutes they spent before she went missing.
Norma grew up in Maine with a distant father and hoovering mother. She has recurring dreams that feel like memories. She has always had questions and will spend decades trying to uncover what secrets her parents are keeping from her.
This is a slow, sad tale about a family whose daughter went missing without a clue and about a woman who wants to uncover a family secret. Family is a major theme in this book about loss, secrets, anger, family, identity, and heartbreak. I appreciated how the author showed the aftermath of losing a child, of not having any answers, how it impacts the family as a whole and the individual family members. The author also showed how feeling different, having questions, and secrets impacted another individual.
I enjoyed this book, but it was lacking that little bit of something that would have made the book more enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and struggled initially with the male narration. I am not sure if this impacted my thoughts on the book, but it was a struggle in the beginning. I found that I had a hard time connecting to the characters even with them experiencing great loss and the impact it had on their lives. Although this book does deal with some heavy subjects, it does end on a hopeful note.
Many are enjoying this book more than I did, please read their reviews as well.
This book will have triggers for some as it deals with loss, addiction, miscarriage, illness, and kidnapping to name a few.
Thank you to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
June 26, 2023
For the first time in some time, I read a book that totally absorbed me and drew me into a carefully and very successfully created world. The Berry Pickers is a story about one family, but it is also the story of a time, a place, a people and the very real impacts of the colonial notion that Indigenous kids are up for grabs, quite literally in this story. Peters writes with a steady and consistent understated grace. Can't wait for what's next from this extremely promising Indigenous author.
June 5, 2024
4.5 stars!
A heavy and unforgettable read.
July 1962. A Mi’kmaw family from Nova Scotia that travels to Maine each summer to pick blueberries is devastated when their 6-year-old daughter, Ruthie, goes missing. Ruthie’s parents and siblings never stop their search for her as the years and decades pass without any answers.
There are two powerful narratives in this debut novel. Equally heart-wrenching and emotional, the author did a phenomenal job fleshing out each of these main characters, making them highly impactful narratives. I was invested in this story from the very start and my interest never wavered.
The plot is heavy, yet hopeful. Packed with atmosphere and emotion, this story shares insight into the lives and societal treatment of migrant workers.
This is a slow burn filled with hardship. Best read in larger chunks of time where you can truly immerse yourself into the family dynamic and setting. Each character is brilliant in their own way. The writing is beautiful and many themes were very relatable. Several times I paused after reading a deeply impactful sentence or paragraph. It is so impressive that this is a debut novel!
This easily makes its way onto my 2024 Favourites Shelf. I highly recommend!
A heavy and unforgettable read.
July 1962. A Mi’kmaw family from Nova Scotia that travels to Maine each summer to pick blueberries is devastated when their 6-year-old daughter, Ruthie, goes missing. Ruthie’s parents and siblings never stop their search for her as the years and decades pass without any answers.
There are two powerful narratives in this debut novel. Equally heart-wrenching and emotional, the author did a phenomenal job fleshing out each of these main characters, making them highly impactful narratives. I was invested in this story from the very start and my interest never wavered.
The plot is heavy, yet hopeful. Packed with atmosphere and emotion, this story shares insight into the lives and societal treatment of migrant workers.
This is a slow burn filled with hardship. Best read in larger chunks of time where you can truly immerse yourself into the family dynamic and setting. Each character is brilliant in their own way. The writing is beautiful and many themes were very relatable. Several times I paused after reading a deeply impactful sentence or paragraph. It is so impressive that this is a debut novel!
This easily makes its way onto my 2024 Favourites Shelf. I highly recommend!
April 30, 2024
Emotional damage
December 10, 2023
3.5⭐
The Berry Pickers is a quiet type of story. It's a story about love, family, heartbreak, and loss. 🫐💜
It's July 1962 when a First Nation Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia goes to Maine for the annual blueberry harvest. Their lives are forever changed when 4-year-old Ruthie goes missing.
I enjoy the 2 POVs format; the missing girl and her brother Joe. We follow their lives through almost 50 years and witness how the disappearance affects the families. The title caught my interest and I really wish there were more historical parts because they were beautifully written.
There are no surprises or shocks but The Berry Pickers held my interest. It's a steady-paced read with an emotional ending that may catch me off guard and I may have shed a tear or two.
I like that there are two narrators for each POV and a title for each chapter so no guessing whose story it is. A lovely character-driven debut!
Thank you Recorded Books and Netgalley for my ALC.
Published Oct 31, 2023!
8H 44M
The Berry Pickers is a quiet type of story. It's a story about love, family, heartbreak, and loss. 🫐💜
It's July 1962 when a First Nation Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia goes to Maine for the annual blueberry harvest. Their lives are forever changed when 4-year-old Ruthie goes missing.
I enjoy the 2 POVs format; the missing girl and her brother Joe. We follow their lives through almost 50 years and witness how the disappearance affects the families. The title caught my interest and I really wish there were more historical parts because they were beautifully written.
There are no surprises or shocks but The Berry Pickers held my interest. It's a steady-paced read with an emotional ending that may catch me off guard and I may have shed a tear or two.
I like that there are two narrators for each POV and a title for each chapter so no guessing whose story it is. A lovely character-driven debut!
Thank you Recorded Books and Netgalley for my ALC.
Published Oct 31, 2023!
8H 44M
November 10, 2023
It’s about a little girl getting kidnapped and spending decades of her life with doubts. On the other side we have her family, specially one of her brothers, living and wondering about her. Really nothing unique or breathtaking happens through this book. We just read about two main characters struggles and suddenly someone decides to tell the truth and Ruthie goes back home with no much trouble.
Well I got bored 😑
Well I got bored 😑
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2023
The day Ruthie went missing, the blackflies seemed to be especially hungry. The white folks at the store where we got our supplies said that Indians made such good berry pickers because something sour in our blood kept the blackflies away. But even then, as a boy of six, I knew that wasn’t true. Blackflies don’t discriminate. But now, lying here almost fifty years to the day and getting eaten from the inside out by a disease I can’t even see, I’m not sure what’s true and what’s not anymore. Maybe we are sour.
To be honest, I was a little disappointed with The Berry Pickers: Somehow both highly melodramatic — with multiple misfortunes befalling one undeserving Mi'kmaq family — and completely unsurprising in its predictable plotting. But I’ll also add that I found this to be overdramatic and predictable in the vein of Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult — both highly successful authors with big fan bases — so I don’t mind concluding (and especially in light of this novel’s high rating on Goodreads) that this just wasn’t a fit for me personally and I wish much success to debut author Amanda Peters. Slight spoilers beyond here (but as everything is given away in the first chapter, I wouldn’t consider them plot-ruining).
In the years since Ruthie went missing, Mom had come to a soft understanding of the situation. She would try her damnedest to not be sad. She couldn’t promise complete happiness or fully rid herself of the anger, no matter how many times a week she put on those shoes and walked to the big stone church in town, but she would harness the sadness. She would harness it and tame it and keep it still and quiet. And she did this by believing that Ruthie was out there somewhere, growing up, eating ice cream, reading books and remembering her mother. We let her. But we still looked.
In 1962, while her family was working an annual blueberry harvest in Maine, four-year-old Ruthie disappeared; and although her family would eventually be forced to go home to Nova Scotia without her, the tragedy would go on to affect her parents and siblings for the rest of their lives. As The Berry Pickers opens, the story of her disappearance is told from Ruthie’s brother Joe’s perspective as he lies dying of cancer in the family home in the modern day. Perspective in the next chapter shifts to that of a young girl named Norma narrating her unhappy life with cold and overbearing parents in the 60s, and it’s immediately clear that this is Ruthie growing up in the family that snatched her. POV rotates between Joe in the present — mostly telling the story of his hard life to his estranged daughter — and watching Ruthie/Norma grow into adulthood, always feeling a sense of disconnection from her ersatz parents.
As a Mi'kmaq, Joe experiences episodes of racism throughout his life, but I don’t know if Peters did the character any favours by portraying Joe — despite coming from a stable, loving family — as an angry and violent heavy drinker (which another character defends as understandable for someone with a history of intergenerational trauma which we just don’t see: Joe’s parents are hard-working, church-going, family-first and thoroughly present and supportive; the loss of Ruthie and other family drama notwithstanding). And when two major episodes of systemic racism are faced by the family — the local sheriff in Maine won’t help search for Ruthie, and when they return home, the local Indian Agent wants to take away the remaining children for their supposed protection — the family’s dad is aggressive and defiant without consequence (which on the one hand feels like grandiose wish-fulfilment, and on the other, makes it sound like if only more fathers would have levelled shotguns at the authorities, fewer children would have been stolen and sent off to the Residential Schools.) Despite some very dramatic events in the life of this family, this novel didn’t give me any feel for what it was like to have lived through those events as First Nations people.
I’ve always wondered at the secrets the dead take with them. Some are unintended secrets, things they never got around to saying, like “I’m sorry” or “The money is hidden in the shoebox at the back of the closet.” Some secrets are so dark that it’s best they remain buried. Even people who exude light and happiness have dark secrets. Sometimes, the lie becomes so entrenched it becomes the truth, hidden away in the deep recesses of the mind until death erases it, leaving the world a little different. Secrets and lies can take on a life of their own, they can be twisted and manipulated, or they can burst into the world from the mouth of someone just as they are starting to lose their mind.
Overall: This was interesting enough, and plenty happens — and I was not entirely unaffected emotionally — but The Berry Pickers was a middle-of-the-road read for me (but highly rated, so take my opinion for what's it's worth).
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January 10, 2024A beautiful, heartbreaking tale of the trauma and guilt that stem from a little girl's disappearance. The ending was so cathartic--the tension and sadness built up throughout the novel paid off!--and I teared up a few times. I loved getting to know the biological mother and spending time with her at the end. I don't think that I could be as forgiving toward her parents as Norma is. Highly recommended!
March 22, 2024
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. What a fantastic book! I wish it was longer. I didn’t want it to end. This will be a re-read 💙
January 6, 2024
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Debut
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978164622...
Release Date: October 31st, 2023
General Genre: Literary, Coming-of-Age, Family Life, Native & Aboriginal, Mystery, Canadian Fic
Sub-Genre/Themes: Missing Child, Kidnapped, Maine, Boston, Massachusetts, child kidnapping victims, indigenous families, domestic drama, family secrets, life-altering events, childhood trauma, small town life, church/religion, faith, death & dying, dementia, identity, mysteries, grief/blame
Writing Style: Multiple POV, back-and-forth timelines between two characters, character-driven, family saga, intricately plotted, haunting
What You Need to Know: Sometimes I read outside my preferred genre. I like to dip into some psychological thrillers–especially from BIPOC voices. The Berry Pickers is maybe one of the “buzziest” books of the year. I have seen it in conversation everywhere and it’s not wrong, it’s a striking debut novel from Amanda Peters. I listened to the audiobook and read my physical copy
My Reading Experience:
I loved my time in this book. I listened to the audiobook (I scored it from my library, I don’t know how since it’s a brand new title) and read the last 40% or so myself because the audio was going slowly and I needed to know what happened!
The story goes back and forth between an indigenous family who loses their youngest member, a young girl named Ruthie while they are picking blueberries on the clock at a local farm. Her brother, Joe, is the last to see her before she goes missing so one POV is his perspective and the other narrative is Ruthie’s after she has been living with the couple that kidnapped her. I loved the voices of both narrators. They were perfect! Occasionally, I’m not sure if it was the narrator’s voice or the style of the writing, but sometimes the story felt trite. A bit “Hallmark Movie” or cheesy. But this feeling was few and far between during a particularly emotional segment or reflection. It didn’t hinder my reading experience, I just took note of it.
Peters explores themes of grief and loss and the impacts of how tragedy can change an entire family’s dynamic in an instant with immaculate insight and precision. She cuts to the quick. My eyes stung with tears throughout my reading experience and I was a mess at the end.
I enjoyed the way the two narratives run alongside each other–the reader is ever hopeful that they will converge at some point. I have to confess, I preferred Ruthie’s (Norma’s) story a bit more than Joe’s…I was fascinated by the family dynamic between Norma and her mother. The evolution of their relationship over decades was riveting. Joe’s story is slightly less compelling because it’s just so sad–the aftermath of tragedy and a life lived under the shadow of what happens to their family…my heart desired the mystery more than the misery.
Final Recommendation: This is a heartfelt, poignant tale told in a way that is both exceptionally detailed in its character development and intricately plotted which makes for a fulfilling reading experience. Truly a remarkable debut.
Comps: Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, White Horse by Erika T. Wurth, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Debut
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978164622...
Release Date: October 31st, 2023
General Genre: Literary, Coming-of-Age, Family Life, Native & Aboriginal, Mystery, Canadian Fic
Sub-Genre/Themes: Missing Child, Kidnapped, Maine, Boston, Massachusetts, child kidnapping victims, indigenous families, domestic drama, family secrets, life-altering events, childhood trauma, small town life, church/religion, faith, death & dying, dementia, identity, mysteries, grief/blame
Writing Style: Multiple POV, back-and-forth timelines between two characters, character-driven, family saga, intricately plotted, haunting
What You Need to Know: Sometimes I read outside my preferred genre. I like to dip into some psychological thrillers–especially from BIPOC voices. The Berry Pickers is maybe one of the “buzziest” books of the year. I have seen it in conversation everywhere and it’s not wrong, it’s a striking debut novel from Amanda Peters. I listened to the audiobook and read my physical copy
My Reading Experience:
I loved my time in this book. I listened to the audiobook (I scored it from my library, I don’t know how since it’s a brand new title) and read the last 40% or so myself because the audio was going slowly and I needed to know what happened!
The story goes back and forth between an indigenous family who loses their youngest member, a young girl named Ruthie while they are picking blueberries on the clock at a local farm. Her brother, Joe, is the last to see her before she goes missing so one POV is his perspective and the other narrative is Ruthie’s after she has been living with the couple that kidnapped her. I loved the voices of both narrators. They were perfect! Occasionally, I’m not sure if it was the narrator’s voice or the style of the writing, but sometimes the story felt trite. A bit “Hallmark Movie” or cheesy. But this feeling was few and far between during a particularly emotional segment or reflection. It didn’t hinder my reading experience, I just took note of it.
Peters explores themes of grief and loss and the impacts of how tragedy can change an entire family’s dynamic in an instant with immaculate insight and precision. She cuts to the quick. My eyes stung with tears throughout my reading experience and I was a mess at the end.
I enjoyed the way the two narratives run alongside each other–the reader is ever hopeful that they will converge at some point. I have to confess, I preferred Ruthie’s (Norma’s) story a bit more than Joe’s…I was fascinated by the family dynamic between Norma and her mother. The evolution of their relationship over decades was riveting. Joe’s story is slightly less compelling because it’s just so sad–the aftermath of tragedy and a life lived under the shadow of what happens to their family…my heart desired the mystery more than the misery.
Final Recommendation: This is a heartfelt, poignant tale told in a way that is both exceptionally detailed in its character development and intricately plotted which makes for a fulfilling reading experience. Truly a remarkable debut.
Comps: Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, White Horse by Erika T. Wurth, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
February 4, 2023
Trigger Warnings: child labour, loss of a child, miscarriage, abuse
Sometimes you finish a book and easily write a review about it, spilling everything you loved or didn’t and move onto the next book. Then a book comes along, and you wonder how you will ever find the right words to adequately describe your experience reading the book. For me, The Berry Pickers falls into the later category and while I don’t think I can do this book justice in describing it, I am going to try.
The Berry Pickers reads in alternating perspectives between Joe and Norma while flashing from present day to the past. The author fully immerses you in the locations bringing them to life and helping you connect to these families. One young family experiences so much trauma and loss, but still comes together. Their youngest child goes missing and they never fail in their belief that she is out there somewhere. It is so tragic yet so heartwarming to watch this family come together. In another family, fleeting glimpses into the past and a continued quest to find your own history to find your place in the world, to find forgiveness and be at peace with yourself.
All of this to say that this story is stunning, beautifully written and heartbreaking. I experience so many emotions and was rooting for these families to find the truth, to find closure and peace. I learned about the challenges in life and the split-second decisions that can change your life forever.
I loved Joe, the doting and conflicted brother. I loved Norma, the precocious and inquisitive child. I became quickly attached to these characters. It felt like I was reading a biography of two families. This will be a story that I recommend to anyone and everyone who will listen. I will tell them that likely see yourself in one or all of these characters, in the way they make decisions to protect who they love. I will tell them they will read heartbreak, but also hope and determination.
This is a story that will stay with me. It is a story that made me think and feel. It drew me into a world and brought it to life. What more can we ask for from a story?
A huge thank you to Harper Collins for gifting me a copy of this book!
Sometimes you finish a book and easily write a review about it, spilling everything you loved or didn’t and move onto the next book. Then a book comes along, and you wonder how you will ever find the right words to adequately describe your experience reading the book. For me, The Berry Pickers falls into the later category and while I don’t think I can do this book justice in describing it, I am going to try.
The Berry Pickers reads in alternating perspectives between Joe and Norma while flashing from present day to the past. The author fully immerses you in the locations bringing them to life and helping you connect to these families. One young family experiences so much trauma and loss, but still comes together. Their youngest child goes missing and they never fail in their belief that she is out there somewhere. It is so tragic yet so heartwarming to watch this family come together. In another family, fleeting glimpses into the past and a continued quest to find your own history to find your place in the world, to find forgiveness and be at peace with yourself.
All of this to say that this story is stunning, beautifully written and heartbreaking. I experience so many emotions and was rooting for these families to find the truth, to find closure and peace. I learned about the challenges in life and the split-second decisions that can change your life forever.
I loved Joe, the doting and conflicted brother. I loved Norma, the precocious and inquisitive child. I became quickly attached to these characters. It felt like I was reading a biography of two families. This will be a story that I recommend to anyone and everyone who will listen. I will tell them that likely see yourself in one or all of these characters, in the way they make decisions to protect who they love. I will tell them they will read heartbreak, but also hope and determination.
This is a story that will stay with me. It is a story that made me think and feel. It drew me into a world and brought it to life. What more can we ask for from a story?
A huge thank you to Harper Collins for gifting me a copy of this book!
January 8, 2024
if this is read as an exploration of what it means to be uprooted from one's culture (in this case the Mi'kmaq) it is successful; but otherwise i have some concerns.
November 10, 2023
4 ⭐️
😭😭😭 If you liked Go as a River, you will love this one. Beautiful story. I think I needed a bit more meat in the story but the two stories coming together towards the end was so moving. Tragic and beautiful and raw.
😭😭😭 If you liked Go as a River, you will love this one. Beautiful story. I think I needed a bit more meat in the story but the two stories coming together towards the end was so moving. Tragic and beautiful and raw.
November 30, 2023
Sobbing 10/10 No notes 😭
March 10, 2024
My thanks to my GR friend Jodi for recommending this great read, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
In the first two chapters in this story, young Ruthie mysteriously disappears from the rock on which she was eating her lunch. Her family searches - for years - but they can find no trace of the missing child. ( I am not sure if we were ever given the last name of this Mi'kmaq family.)
The secret of what ultimately happened to four year old Ruthie is only revealed in the last two chapters of this story, but the reader will have most likely put two and two together by the 3rd chapter. We, the reading audience, are privy to both sides of the story and have a pretty good idea where the action is headed, whereas the remaining characters in this novel are fed information in excruciatingly slow increments. It took quite a while for all the pennies to finally drop!
Amanda Peters did an excellent job of prolonging the much anticipated reveal until almost the very end.
I highly recommend this great read, set partly in Maine and partly in Nova Scotia.
4 out of 5 well-written stars.
(Thanks for recommending this one, Jodi! A thoroughly great, engrossing read!)
In the first two chapters in this story, young Ruthie mysteriously disappears from the rock on which she was eating her lunch. Her family searches - for years - but they can find no trace of the missing child. ( I am not sure if we were ever given the last name of this Mi'kmaq family.)
The secret of what ultimately happened to four year old Ruthie is only revealed in the last two chapters of this story, but the reader will have most likely put two and two together by the 3rd chapter. We, the reading audience, are privy to both sides of the story and have a pretty good idea where the action is headed, whereas the remaining characters in this novel are fed information in excruciatingly slow increments. It took quite a while for all the pennies to finally drop!
Amanda Peters did an excellent job of prolonging the much anticipated reveal until almost the very end.
I highly recommend this great read, set partly in Maine and partly in Nova Scotia.
4 out of 5 well-written stars.
(Thanks for recommending this one, Jodi! A thoroughly great, engrossing read!)
November 9, 2023
After the first 3 chapters I could tell how this book would unfold. I only finished it to see if I was right. I was. No real surprises. A sad story. I think it could have been told differently to have had some surprises and suspense.
October 29, 2023
The Berry Pickers is a sad, informative but beautifully written story. I wanted to read it because I live in Maine and thought it would be interesting to read a book with a setting in an area I know. From the blurb, you know that it is a story about a stolen child and the family she was stolen from. I had never read a book with that plot and I was very intrigued to hear how something like this could happen.
The story is told from two viewpoints. Norma and Joe. Because of it being obvious in the blurb, you know that Norma is the stolen child who is growing up in an affluent household that is not her own. Joe is the older brother who saw Ruthie (Norma)last and you hear his family’s side of the story through his eyes.
Amanda Peters helps you understand what the family went through when they couldn’t find their daughter. Of course I can never relate but I could imagine through Joe’s story, what it might be like. The hopelessness after searching for many endless weeks, months and years to no avail. To make matters worse, because Joe’s family is Native American, the authorities don’t assist them in any way.
Norma’s point of view is equally painful. She was four when she was taken so she doesn’t remember much but a sense of not fitting in and wondering why. She feels something is not right but can’t figure out what.
I felt sad hearing both points of view and even though I knew what would happen I couldn’t stop listening because I just had to know the outcome. I sat up late into the night listening on double speed! At the end, I had a nice long cry and thought about how glad I was to have chosen to read The Berry Pickers.
The narrators did a wonderful job at voicing both characters. I would highly encourage the audio to anyone who is able.
Even though it is fiction, this book reads and feels like a real event. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about a situation like this. The narrators did a wonderful job. In my opinion, they voiced the characters exactly how I thought they would sound.
Many thanks to Amanda Peters, and RB Media for the ARC via NetGalley.
The story is told from two viewpoints. Norma and Joe. Because of it being obvious in the blurb, you know that Norma is the stolen child who is growing up in an affluent household that is not her own. Joe is the older brother who saw Ruthie (Norma)last and you hear his family’s side of the story through his eyes.
Amanda Peters helps you understand what the family went through when they couldn’t find their daughter. Of course I can never relate but I could imagine through Joe’s story, what it might be like. The hopelessness after searching for many endless weeks, months and years to no avail. To make matters worse, because Joe’s family is Native American, the authorities don’t assist them in any way.
Norma’s point of view is equally painful. She was four when she was taken so she doesn’t remember much but a sense of not fitting in and wondering why. She feels something is not right but can’t figure out what.
I felt sad hearing both points of view and even though I knew what would happen I couldn’t stop listening because I just had to know the outcome. I sat up late into the night listening on double speed! At the end, I had a nice long cry and thought about how glad I was to have chosen to read The Berry Pickers.
The narrators did a wonderful job at voicing both characters. I would highly encourage the audio to anyone who is able.
Even though it is fiction, this book reads and feels like a real event. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about a situation like this. The narrators did a wonderful job. In my opinion, they voiced the characters exactly how I thought they would sound.
Many thanks to Amanda Peters, and RB Media for the ARC via NetGalley.
July 13, 2023
A Mi’kmaw family from Nova Scotia spends each summer picking blueberries on a farm in Maine. Despite the hard work and casual racism, the family is happy, until one day four year old Ruthie disappears. Local police refuse to help search for the girl, and she is never found. The ripples of her disappearance combine with subsequent misfortunes to affect the family for years to come, as seen in the portions of the story told by Joe, Ruthie’s older brother who was the last to see her before her disappearance. Now middle-aged and riddled with cancer and regrets, Joe has always wondered what happened to Ruthie. His voice alternates with that of “Norma,” who was raised in a smothering white family, and discouraged from thinking too much about the meaning of her recurring ‘dreams’ and dark skin.
This is popular fiction, part of what seems to be an increasing and positive trend towards focusing popular, readable narratives on Indigenous lives and issues. As such, it combines references to racism, missing Indigenous women, and residential schools with a story of family dynamics and eventual reunion. I found it a little bland, but my interest increased as I read it, particularly in the last third or so. I was also interested to read about the dynamics of the Maine berry fields, picked by a combination of Indigenous and Mexican workers. I understand that the author’s father worked as a berry picker in Maine, and it’s lovely that she was able to draw on his stories to illuminate the experiences of a group of people readers might not otherwise know about.
This is popular fiction, part of what seems to be an increasing and positive trend towards focusing popular, readable narratives on Indigenous lives and issues. As such, it combines references to racism, missing Indigenous women, and residential schools with a story of family dynamics and eventual reunion. I found it a little bland, but my interest increased as I read it, particularly in the last third or so. I was also interested to read about the dynamics of the Maine berry fields, picked by a combination of Indigenous and Mexican workers. I understand that the author’s father worked as a berry picker in Maine, and it’s lovely that she was able to draw on his stories to illuminate the experiences of a group of people readers might not otherwise know about.
February 13, 2024
This beautiful tearjerker of a story follows two characters from the early 1960s to roughly present day. When four-year-old Ruthie, an Indigenous girl from Nova Scotia, goes missing from the field where her family is picking berries, her brother Joe’s life is forever changed. We follow him into and through adulthood as he reckons with the loss of his beloved sister and his own self-destructive streak. Meanwhile, Norma grows up in a cold, sterile home with parents who don’t look or act like her. She’s haunted by dreams of belonging to a different family, dreams that feel almost like memories, and she’s starting to question some of her mom’s stories about her childhood.
This book had me absolutely riveted, but don’t expect a twisty thriller. It’s a stunning piece of literary fiction with incredibly well-crafted characters. I made it about 80% of the way through without crying before I cracked 😂 It broke my heart and put it back together again, and I loved it.
This book had me absolutely riveted, but don’t expect a twisty thriller. It’s a stunning piece of literary fiction with incredibly well-crafted characters. I made it about 80% of the way through without crying before I cracked 😂 It broke my heart and put it back together again, and I loved it.
February 6, 2024
Five glorious stars for this debut novel! I thought the writing was magical. I was engaged throughout. It’s heartbreaking. There were times where I had to set it down because I couldn’t see through the tears in my eyes to continue reading. It’s an emotional story about unending love for family.
I think it’s worth mentioning that there are a number of reviews that did not enjoy the narration of the audio book. My review is based on reading the book rather than listening to it.
I think it’s worth mentioning that there are a number of reviews that did not enjoy the narration of the audio book. My review is based on reading the book rather than listening to it.
December 27, 2023
Holy crap, this was a drag to read. The beginning of The Berry Pickers is so promising and Amanda Peters seems like she’s really going to tackle the kind of grief and wound that a missing child inflicts on a family, but the story ends up being really hard to get through. None of the characters are interesting, the focus on family is shallow, and the writing style isn’t beautiful enough to carry this book.
I feel like there were some incisive moments with one of the POVs we’re given but the other POV became insufferable about 50% through. There are a lot of tricky topics that Peters is navigating, from domestic violence to systemic racism and confronting that your family isn’t really your family, but she did not hit the nail on most of these things for me.
In concept, the things that happen in this book are incredibly poignant and sad, but I didn’t feel most of it because I didn’t feel like these were real people–what do Joe’s brothers like and what were they like? Who knows. What was it like growing up as a visibly brown-skinned girl in a majority white town and family or marrying a white man? *Shrugs* Fill it in for yourself. The only characters that really sparked anything in me were the Mi’kmaq parents because I could feel their love for their kids radiate from the page. The way that Peters wrote about the sacrifice you make for your kids affected me and I like that this echoed throughout generations.
Overall, The Berry Pickers is a listless read and feels like it would be better as a movie or show. There are some truly moving lines and moments in the beginning, but the story is bogged down by its slow pacing and hollow character work.
I feel like there were some incisive moments with one of the POVs we’re given but the other POV became insufferable about 50% through. There are a lot of tricky topics that Peters is navigating, from domestic violence to systemic racism and confronting that your family isn’t really your family, but she did not hit the nail on most of these things for me.
In concept, the things that happen in this book are incredibly poignant and sad, but I didn’t feel most of it because I didn’t feel like these were real people–what do Joe’s brothers like and what were they like? Who knows. What was it like growing up as a visibly brown-skinned girl in a majority white town and family or marrying a white man? *Shrugs* Fill it in for yourself. The only characters that really sparked anything in me were the Mi’kmaq parents because I could feel their love for their kids radiate from the page. The way that Peters wrote about the sacrifice you make for your kids affected me and I like that this echoed throughout generations.
Overall, The Berry Pickers is a listless read and feels like it would be better as a movie or show. There are some truly moving lines and moments in the beginning, but the story is bogged down by its slow pacing and hollow character work.
October 6, 2023
I hope I never lose my excitement for an own voices debut. THE BERRY PICKERS is a heartfelt family drama that follows an Indigenous family from Nova Scotia to Maine for seasonal work picking berries. Their lives are upended when their young daughter Ruthie disappears.
This story is less about the mystery of what happened to Ruthie; we hear from Ruthie as she ages and know how her story plays out. This is more about the aftermath of the tragedy and how it impacts Ruthie’s family, especially her brother Joe who is haunted by his sister’s disappearance and leaves a trail of heartbreak in his wake.
If you’re up for a family drama that explores race, class, and moving forward through life with grief add THE BERRY PICKERS to your fall TBR.
RATING: 4.5/5
PUB DATE: October 31, 2023
READ THIS IF:
-I had you at “own voices debut”
-Heavy topics don’t deter you
-You want a riveting book club discussion
Thank you to Catapult for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story is less about the mystery of what happened to Ruthie; we hear from Ruthie as she ages and know how her story plays out. This is more about the aftermath of the tragedy and how it impacts Ruthie’s family, especially her brother Joe who is haunted by his sister’s disappearance and leaves a trail of heartbreak in his wake.
If you’re up for a family drama that explores race, class, and moving forward through life with grief add THE BERRY PICKERS to your fall TBR.
RATING: 4.5/5
PUB DATE: October 31, 2023
READ THIS IF:
-I had you at “own voices debut”
-Heavy topics don’t deter you
-You want a riveting book club discussion
Thank you to Catapult for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 16, 2024
The family from Nova Scotia returns to Maine for their annual summers of picking berries. One day, four year old Ruthie disappears. The family and other workers search and search; police are called but have little interest in helping a migrant Indian family.
From here the book is told from two POV: Joe, one of the older brothers, and Norma, which is who Ruthie is raised as. Joe and his family grieve Ruthie, as well as other family losses, but Joe especially struggles. Those feelings of guilt Carrie’s with him and shapes his life in many ways.
Norma has dreams when she is younger, and feelings that things aren’t quite right with family. She has suspicions, but nowhere near the truth. Her life is likewise shaped by many events in her life.
While there is certainly sadness and grief in each of their stories, there is also love and kindness. And as they each work towards resolution, there is a lovely healing. It’s not a fast paced book or about big moments or revelations, but a slow winding road that leads you home.
From here the book is told from two POV: Joe, one of the older brothers, and Norma, which is who Ruthie is raised as. Joe and his family grieve Ruthie, as well as other family losses, but Joe especially struggles. Those feelings of guilt Carrie’s with him and shapes his life in many ways.
Norma has dreams when she is younger, and feelings that things aren’t quite right with family. She has suspicions, but nowhere near the truth. Her life is likewise shaped by many events in her life.
While there is certainly sadness and grief in each of their stories, there is also love and kindness. And as they each work towards resolution, there is a lovely healing. It’s not a fast paced book or about big moments or revelations, but a slow winding road that leads you home.
May 13, 2024
Ruthie(Norma) is taken from her family and illegally adopted by a couple who could not have their own children. She is raised to adulthood without knowing her origin(however experiences dreams which she questions).
The story is told in alternating chapters between the child and the brother(Joe) who was the last to see her.
The story is told in alternating chapters between the child and the brother(Joe) who was the last to see her.
December 24, 2023
This excellent story is about probably the most horrifying thing that could ever happen to a family . The premise was great; the story was tremendous. I know this situation has happened in real life, but it’s so incredibly shocking as to make it seem unbelievable. Even so, I thought I might have to suspend belief, at times, and that could have spoiled the book for me—but it didn’t. It was so very easy to get caught up in this story—it was fascinating!! And I really, really cared about these people. I wanted more!
I admit there may have been flaws, but other reviewers have addressed them and, overall, this was an excellent book that I very highly recommend. It’s a Canadian debut by an author with immense talent, and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!
5 “So-Incredible-it’s-Almost-Unbelievable” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I admit there may have been flaws, but other reviewers have addressed them and, overall, this was an excellent book that I very highly recommend. It’s a Canadian debut by an author with immense talent, and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!
5 “So-Incredible-it’s-Almost-Unbelievable” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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November 8, 2023I loved the premise of The Berry Pickers and anticipated a gritty, moving read. The loss of a child and the ripple effect on a Mi’kmaw family was clearly devastating, and the confusion, sorrow, and grief following Ruthie's kidnapping by a White woman are well described. Unfortunately, I never connected to either of the main characters, Ruthie or Joe. Part of that may have been due to the audiobook narrators. I found the narrator reading Ruthie's part to be very stilted - almost as if she were reading an essay in front of the class — and the narrator reading Joe didn't convey the emotion I expected. So much happened in this novel, and the ending was lovely, but I found myself wishing for more details about the Mi’kmaw culture.
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