"The Berry Pickers" by Amanda Peters is an unputdownable tale of love, family separation, and forgiveness that vividly captures the essence of the characters' experiences. Peters skillfully delves into the emotional depths of her characters, making their misfortunes and redemption relatable to most readers. The story beautifully explores themes of loss, grief, hope, and the unbreakable bonds that hold families together, even when torn apart. While the book masterfully weaves a captivating narrative, it occasionally feels a bit too wordy and descriptive, making it a bit slow at times. Nevertheless, Peters' novel is powerful and sheds light on important Indigenous stories that matter.

Despite the heartbreak and tragedy experienced by Ruthie’s family and the claustrophobic confusion and misplacement experienced by Norma, The Berry Pickers still holds on to hope through out the entire novel. This is what kept me going throughout the more dismal moments. The hopeful promise of reunion and healing.
The bittersweet ending is where you’ll cry the most because it feels so perfectly satisfying, yet so incredibly unfair, all at once.
This is by no means a true mystery or a thriller, and some may find it lacking “action” or a bit slow to start off with, but I was fully invested in the unfolding of Joe and Ruthie’s stories. This was beautifully written and was a stunning debut for the author Amanda Peters who is of Mi’Kmaw and settler ancestry.
This is not only the story of Ruthie’s disappearance and the consequences that followed but an exploration of what it means to be Mi’kmaw and Indigenous. Throughout the novel, Joe questions whether being an Indian means there is something inherently wrong with him, stemming from the casual racism he and his family faced while he was growing up.

“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.“

Norma, whose darker complexion was attributed to a mysterious Italian ancestor, by her parents wonders if there is something wrong with her for not inherently knowing that she was Native American before discovering her roots. It takes finding family for her to truly begin to understand who Ruthie is.

“You’ve been called Ruthie many times, you just can’t remember. But don’t worry, we remember for you.”

4/5 stars and a great Own Voices debut to read for Native American Heritage month.

My full review will be posted on my blog www.reddogsread.com on 11/7

Captivating #OwnVoices alternating-perspectives novel. The audiobook was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited for The Berry Pickers. It had a riveting concept that quickly got my attention and I’ve heard some great praise for this book. Unfortunately, it did fall short for me, I found the story a little too slow of a start. Despite quickly learning the hardships unfolding, I didn’t find myself entirely engaged.

Ruthie a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing during her family’s annual berry picking job. For nearly 50 years Ruthie’s disappearance remains a mystery. Her mother and brother Ben insist that she’s alive. Her disappearance affects the entire family. Each deals with their own culpability surrounding that tragic day. Meanwhile, Ruthie is being raised by an emotionally distant mentally fragile mother. A woman who has endured multiple miscarriages. Who by chance comes across Ruthie sitting on a rock and lures her away with gum. Ruthie who has been renamed Norma is the child of her dreams. Yet she fears that she’ll be discovered. Aided by her husband , sister and a family friend, she conceals the truth. Norma has early dreams which are labeled “nightmares” about her biological family. Throughout the years she picks up small clues regarding her true identity. Somehow the truth always evades her.
The Berry Pickers is a profound novel about loss, desperation, love , hope and the strength of family. The characters are so uniquely developed, that they feel like family. The story is so well crafted that you will find yourself heavy with emotion (and not just for Ruthie). Every character has their own way of coping and overcoming trials and this is refreshing to see. There are some pretty raw scenes that you’ll need a Kleenex box to get through. I’d love to see this novel adapted for television or the big screen. I would definitely recommend it.

"The Berrypickers" by Amanda Peters is a compelling and deeply moving novel that weaves together themes of family, loss, trauma, and cultural reclamation. The narrative's dual perspective through Ruthie (Norma) and her brother, Joe, offers a unique and intimate insight into the Mi'Kmaq family's journey over the years.

The story's setting in Nova Scotia and New England adds an intriguing dimension, creating a rich backdrop for the characters' experiences. Peters did an excellent job in character development, making them multi-dimensional and relatable. The untethered bond between Ruthie (Norma) and her Mi’Kmaq family highlights the power of culture and memories, even those formed at a very early age.

The themes of trauma and loss, as well as the process of cultural reclamation, are highly relevant and emotionally resonant and it was heartening to see these aspects explored in a genuine manner. This story is a moving and thought-provoking journey through the complexities of life, identity, and healing.

Overall, "The Berrypickers" was a powerful and well-crafted work that I would highly recommend to anyone who appreciates stories of resilience and cultural exploration. I listened to this novel on audiobook and the narrators did a splendid job!

What an absorbing, cathartic read. It even brought me to tears!

The story is told from two perspectives - Joe, a middle-aged Mi'kmaq man on his deathbed and reflecting on his past, and Norma, a young women who grew up in Maine to an affluent family she loves but feels different from and senses they are keeping something from her. Their characters are fleshed out through first-person narratives and I really enjoyed how their perspectives alternated as their stories are woven together.

I especially appreciated Ms. Peters' choice to make clear the answer to the mystery at the core of the story from the outset. This hooked me and made me want to learn the how, why, and what the resolution would be. I feel like other writers would have tried to obscure the connections between the characters to make a big reveal later in the plot. But Ms. Peters' choice is more effective, because we can instead focus on the characters' journeys, the impact of trauma on their lives and decision-making, the effects of racism and cultural erasure, and the complicated relationships in the characters' lives. This storytelling was so much richer as a result.

I would have liked to see more of the interactions between Joe and his family growing up. In addition to Joe's reflections centering on miserable or traumatic events together, I would have liked to know more about their mundane days, how they got along, and some more uplifting memories that further develop their relationships with each other, between the siblings and the parents. I think this would have given more dimension to the characters and made a stronger contrast to what Norma was experiencing and missing in her life growing up. All that to say, I was so invested in the characters, I wanted to read more!

I received an advanced audiobook from RB Media and Netgalley, and the narration by Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch is very well done. It felt like I was lucky enough to be talking with real life people sharing their life stories with me. Definitely recommend!

Rating 3.5
I really liked the beginning, but I didn't like some of the things happening in the middle and the ending was ok, but at that point I didn't care as much.

A little girl is in the Maine blueberry fields sitting on a rock while eating her lunch. She vanishes and her six-year-old brother is the last one to see her. A Maine judge and his wife are hiding a secret. These two families and the mystery that surrounds them will collide into a heartbreaking story that is hard to forget.

Although this was a quiet story, it focused on the relationships of families and how guilt and tragedy can affect a person their entire life. It was also shocking how people can turn their heads and allow a people group to be subjected to horrible crimes.

This was a heartbreaking and emotional book. I want to thank NetGalley and RB Media for the Advanced Reader Copy. #NetGalley #TheBerryPickers

I stopped listening to this several times and I thought each time, “how much grief can this novel hold?” And just so you know I cried and cried near the end. I’m a wife, mother, sister and child and this hurt all of them. And I was angry and sad and determined to finish this story that so many stories in it. It was written well and I guess that’s why I took breaks. The narrators, Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch were perfect for this story. It was really sad but I glad I listened to it.
Thanks Recorded Books via NetGalley.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Catapult, and Recorded Books Media for gifting me an audio ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Amanda Peters, narrated by Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch - 5 stars!

Every summer, a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia travel down to Maine to pick blueberries. One fateful summer, 4-year-old Ruthie disappears. Her brother, Joe, was the last to see her and never gets over his guilt and angst. In Maine, Norma grows up in a wealthy family, but her father is distant and her mother extremely over protective. She often has dreams that feel more like memories.

I loved this debut and felt so much for all the characters. Told from the viewpoints of both Joe and Norma, we also learn about the Indigenous culture. There is an overwhelming feeling of loss throughout, as well as how trauma carries forward in our lives. But it's also hopeful, a story full of connection and found family. I couldn't put it down and can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This book was about more than just a family. It was a story about a time, a place, and about how it impacted the people of the town. The writing was beautiful and I found myself not being able to put it down.

You got to really desperately want to become a mother in order to do some one of the mothers did in this story. Because how else you could be okay with what you have done knowing it was going to destroy another mother, child, and family.

A mother in such pain and mental "incapacity" could be left alone with her troubles and how come only cure for her depression could be letting her get away with what she did, allowing her to not face the consequences. She might be not in right frame of mind to judge what was for right or wrong, but enabling her to continue her putting on a show was equally cruel.

A family could be ignored only this much, just because they were indigenous. They could only search for their missing child for few days before getting threatened by their jobs. I'm still shook by what I learnt about residential schools, so seeing how that discrimination highlighted here too. These people were not cared for, prioritized, or even considered a proper citizen. This was a sad sad book with many heartbroken moms.

“I lived my entire childhood in the shadow of infant ghosts. Their memory haunted my mother, and she carried them around with her, constantly tripping over their absence and blaming me for the fall.”

In 1962, a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia was picking blueberries in Maine when their four-year-old daughter, Ruthie, disappeared. Her brother, Joe, never gets over the loss.
The story is told from two points of view: Joe and Norma, a girl growing up in Maine with an overprotective mother and distant father. Memories and anger haunt Joe, while Norma is haunted by a loss she doesn’t even remember.

“There was love in that house, but none of us knew what to do with it.”

It’s been a long time since a book made me cry, but the final chapters of BERRY PICKERS had me in tears. This is a beautiful and heart-rending story about family, intuition, and the aching aftermath of tragedy. Of course, the Maine and Canadian settings had my whole heart.

Other readers of the audiobook, please tell me what you think. I loved Joe’s sections as his slightly breathy delivery and accent reminded me of Louise Erdrich (in the best possible way), but Norma’s narration seemed stilted. Do you think it was to represent how emotionally stunted she was by her buried trauma and cold upbringing?

QOTD: Have you been berry picking? Growing up in Maine, we went blueberry picking often. My uncle made a rake for pulling the berries off the low bushes, and after we picked (and picked over) the berries, my aunt made fresh blueberry muffins.

How much of what we become is shaped by the people who raise us? How much of it is molded by the tragedies that break us?

In this dual narrative, we meet Joe, a man whose younger sister went missing when they were children, and Norma, who grapples with questions about her identity, both in childhood and her later adult years. We know from the start who Norma really is, but we don’t know if Joe, now an older man who is dying, will get the chance to reunite with the sister he’d lost so long ago.

This story is full of devastation, although it allows for glimpses of hope. It’s a thoughtfully rendered and immersive tale that carefully exemplifies the repercussions of choice - good or bad, planned or impulsive, and well intentioned or morally bankrupt. No matter what the choice may be, there is always a weighted effect.

One character took a path that made him easy to despise, yet he was still someone I could feel sympathy for. It’s satisfying when an author succeeds in building a multi-faceted character that you can simultaneously hate and hurt for.

I mistakenly thought there would be more mystery to this, but I’m not unhappy with the family saga it ended up being. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat unless I needed to run for more tissues, but I do love a story that can provoke that much emotion.

I am immensely grateful to Recorded Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this debut novel; kudos to debut author Amanda Peters. I was not familiar with the Mi’kmaq berry pickers in Maine.

Point of view alternates between Joe (the young brother, the last to see Ruthie before she disappears) and Ruthie. (The audio version has male/Jordan Waunch and female/Aaliya Warbus narrators; it works very well for this audio and they did a great job.)

I had the opportunity to listen to the “advance listen audio” copy of The Berry Pickers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher RB Media Recorded Books for the opportunity. Publication date is Oct 31, 2023.

(I still want to throw a shoe at the police that came out to investigate.)

In July 1962, a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia embarks on their annual blueberry harvest in Maine. Little do they know that this journey will forever alter their lives when their 4-year-old daughter, Ruthie, goes missing.

What captivated me about "The Berry Pickers" is its unique narrative structure, featuring two distinct points of view. Through the eyes of Ruthie and her brother Joe, we are taken on a poignant journey spanning nearly five decades, witnessing the profound impact of Ruthie's disappearance on their families. While I found myself yearning for more historical context, the beautifully written passages that did delve into the past were a true highlight.

Although "The Berry Pickers" may not offer shocking twists or surprises, it managed to hold my attention with its steady pace. The emotional ending caught me off guard, and I must admit, a few tears were shed along the way.

One aspect I particularly appreciated was the use of two narrators, each assigned to a specific point of view, and the clear chapter titles that eliminated any confusion about whose story was being told. Overall, this debut novel is a lovely exploration of its characters, driven by their personal journeys.

4.25⭐️

A Mi’kmaq family travels in the summers from Nova Scotia to Maine, in order to find work picking blueberries. In the summer of 1962, their youngest child, Ruthie, vanishes. Because they are poor Mi’kmaq fieldworkers, authorities refuse to go to any lengths to help them in their search, and the effects of this trauma and loss reverberate through them in the decades afterwards.

Norma grows up in Maine as the only of wealthy parents. Her life is quite small, as her parents go to far greater lengths to protect her than to nurture her. She is haunted by strange, familiar-feeling dreams which she is discouraged from discussing.

This is all a perfect setup for a potentially fantastic and thought-provoking story. The Berry Pickers is a decently engaging story, but I couldn’t help but feel that Peters played it a bit safer than she could have. If she’d either leaned a bit more into the mystery (good), or the underlying social commentary (better)- or, ideally, both (best), this could have been taken from a decent story to a phenomenal one.

Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch do a nice job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Amanda Peters, RB Media, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

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.

What a terrific debut novel. A migrant family’s tragic story told through the view of the two youngest children in alternating chapters over 50 years. The further tragedy is the emotional impacts of how children are raised and by whom, and even when everything is “normal” there are things a loving home can not change. I recommend this family drama but caution- I needed tissues.