Review of THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters

 3.5 Stars

I don’t remember how I came to hear about this book, but I’m glad I did. 

There is a dual narrative.  Joe, dying from cancer, tells the story of his sister Ruthie’s disappearance decades earlier in 1962 when he and his family travelled as usual to Maine to pick blueberries.  Joe, six years old at the time, is the last to see four-year-old Ruthie.  Her mysterious vanishing leaves Joe devastated and affects him for his entire life. 

In alternating chapters we meet Norma who grows up in an affluent family in Maine, though her father is emotionally distant and her mother is suffocatingly protective.  Norma always has a sense of disconnection from her family and is troubled by dreams that seem too real, dreams that she quickly learns no one wants her to mention.  After the death of both parents, she discovers family secrets which set her looking for the full truth.

The plot is predictable, especially because the ending of the prologue indicates what is going to happen.  As a result, there is little narrative tension.  Norma’s identity is clear, especially when she mentions having a doll which she gives a revealing name.  An encounter at a park is also important, though it is rather coincidental.

It is the book’s examination of various issues that caught my attention.  For instance, the treatment of First Nations people is highlighted.  The sheriff does nothing to search for Ruthie; he says, “’She’s not been gone long enough, and you not being proper Maine citizens, and known transients’” and adds, “’If you were so concerned about the girl, you’d have taken better notice, I guess.’”  Mr. Ellis, the man who employs the berry pickers, lets two days pass during which the workers search for Ruthie, and then tells Ruthie’s father, “’This ain’t my problem . . . if you don’t get back to work, there are lots of other Indians around that would be more than happy to work these fields.’”  And then there’s the Indian agent who threatens to remove more of the children, telling the parents,  “’You give me a good explanation for losing a child and I will consider leaving one, maybe two, in your care.’” 

The effects of trauma are also examined.  Joe is consumed by grief, the “kind of grief [that] leads people to do things they normally wouldn’t.’”  That grief and his feelings of guilt are transformed into anger:  “anger and sadness are just two different sides of the same coin.”  And that anger affects Joe’s interactions with others:  “Anger makes people say things they don’t mean.  Makes them want to hurt others like they’ve been hurt.”  It is so sad that Joe, for the most of his life, cannot let go of that anger:  “’Anger is exhausting.  Holding on to it will drain the life out of you.’” 

This is not a challenging read, but it has a positive message about the persistence of love so is heart-warming despite its many heartbreaking events.  This is a debut novel and I will certainly be looking for future books from the author.