Set in Maine and Nova Scotia, The Berry Pickers opens in the early 1960s when 4-year-old Ruthie, the youngest in her Mi’kmaq family who travels to Maine each summer to pick blueberries, goes missing. The story is told from two perspectives: Joe, Ruthie’s big brother, who carries deep guilt and anger in the aftermath of Ruthie’s disappearance, and Norma, the only child of a distant father and overprotective mother, whose dreams are as vivid as memories.
With deliberate and impactful storytelling, this novel by Amanda Peters is an ode to the ties that bind family across time and space—and to the limitless and sometimes flawed love of motherhood. It’s a truly lovely debut.
Rachael Johnson is the assistant manager at Valley Bookseller. Find The Berry Pickers at Valley Bookseller or at your favorite local independent bookstore.
