The Berry Pickers

A spoiler-free review of Amanda Peters' novel

"The Berry Pickers" by Amanda Peters is a moving and thought-provoking book that follows two families over approximately 50 years. Starting in the blueberry fields of 1960’s Maine, a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia is irreparably changed when four year-old Ruthie disappears. Meanwhile, young Norma is growing up well-off, but with a stifling mother and distant father. Plagued by dreams that seem like more than dreams, Norma slowly comes to realize her life isn’t all that it seems.

This story alternates viewpoints, from Joe, the last family member to see his younger sister Ruthie, to Norma as she grows up and away from the shelter of her family. One of the larger themes throughout the book is loss and how it shapes each person it touches differently. At the base of it, it’s loss and how each character handles loss that drives the story through the choices they each make.

I recommend this book for folks who enjoy literary fiction, indigenous history, and explorations of love, loss, and grief.

~A