The Berry Pickers

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE BERRY PICKERS

“The thing about picking a handful of berries is that each one is different—some are sweet, some sour, some extra juicy. The Berry Pickers is just like a handful of berries. It’s an unassuming novel filled with so much sweet, so much sour, so much juice. Reading this book, I was only ever hungry when it ended.”

—Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez

“The Berry Pickers is an intimately written tale of the destruction wreaked on a family when their youngest child is stolen. Peters brilliantly crafts a multi-layered tale of how one irrational act creates irrevocable harm that ripples through multiple lives, including, ironically, the lives of the perpetrators. Peters’s smooth prose combined with exceptionally drawn descriptions allows the reader to share the sensory experiences of the characters, making this a fluid and emotional read that is both plainly and beautifully rendered. On a meta level, the book eloquently speaks to the deep loss and existential searching that Indigenous children who were scooped and placed in non-indigenous homes are haunted by throughout their lives. An amazing read from an amazing new voice.” 

—Michelle Good, author of Five Little Indians

“A marvelous debut. The Berry Pickers has all the passion of a first book but also the finely developed skill of a well-practiced storyteller. I can’t believe Amanda Peters is just getting started. She writes like someone who has been doing this a long time, and no doubt she has, only now we get to share in the creativity of her amazing mind. She’s going to be the next big thing. I am placing my bets now. The Berry Pickers is 

a triumph.”

—Katherena Vermette, author of The Strangers

“With every sense engaged, and in a lyrical tribute to her father's stories, Amanda Peters manages to take you home to the east coast in the very best ways—through family love and personal grief and the precious accounting of minutes and memories. You cannot help but love these characters from the first chapter, they stay with you long after the last page.”

—Cherie Dimaline, author of The Marrow Thieves

“One family’s secret is the source of another family’s pain in this poignant debut that reads like a modern literary classic. Moving, heartbreaking, and hopeful, The Berry Pickers is a powerful tale of haunting regret, bonds that will never be broken, and unrelenting love. Amanda Peters’s skilled storytelling evokes all the sensations of summer in Maine, singing around a fire, and the horror that takes hold when a child goes missing.”

—Nick Medina, author of Sisters of the Lost Nation