Is there a limit to what you could forgive of your loved ones? What about yourself? These are the questions the protagonists of “The Berry Pickers” face. This award-winning novel by Amanda Peters follows Ruthie, a 4-year-old Mi’kmaq girl who goes missing from a blueberry farm in Maine, and Joe, her older brother who was the last to see her before she disappeared. Ruthie’s only memories of her family come in the form of what her new parents convince her are only dreams. The book alternates between being narrated by Joe and Ruthie, which provides an intimate insight into each of their experiences.
The story spans almost 50 years and is full of heartbreak and silver linings. It examines the complexities of broken trust, shame and forgiveness. Joe’s relationship with his own rage and guilt and Ruthie’s complicated relationship with her fragile mother provide gripping conflict that makes this book impossible to put down. Peters perfectly captures the heaviness of grief and trauma and what a person can be driven to when they let it consume them. The author manages to confront issues often faced by the indigenous community in a way that is compelling but does not overshadow the characters’ individuality. The end of the story is bittersweet, as real life so often is.
This book has no heroes or villains, only human beings doing what they feel they must to survive and protect the ones they love. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in exploring the pain and beauty of the human experience. Anyone who has a complicated relationship with themselves or their family will find this book and the characters extremely relatable.
