Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Berry Pickers

This is a hard book to review. I was compelled to keep reading because I felt completely drawn in to the tragedies and traumas that the characters were facing, and needed to see how it all resolved. I was moved to tears at times, especially at the end. At the same time, the characters went through so much trauma that I almost felt voyeuristic at times. I kept going because I knew from the first chapter there was hope, but it was pretty brutal seeing everything that especially Joe's family went through.

This story is a heartbreaking look at the effect the Sixties Scoop had on Indigenous people in Canada. While this wasn't exactly like the typical Sixties Scoop - where the taking of children was sanctioned by child welfare services - it explored how much that sort of forced interracial adoption fractured family and individual identities. It's estimated that 20,000 Indigenous children were forcibly relocated during the Scoop, so the emotions that Ruthie and her family went through in this book are far from unique.

At times I wondered why we were spending so much time with Joe. His story was interesting to read, but I finished the book with so many unanswered questions about the fallout with Norma

/Ruthie

and her family that I wish we could have spent some more time with her perspective at the end. What we did get with her at that point was great though and very healing.

That scene towards the end where all the siblings are laughing together was so special.

The book could have dug a little deeper on a few of its themes.

Aunt June didn't exactly get off easy, as Norma did articulate to her what I'd been thinking the whole time, but the book could have explored a little more her position as a white queer person - on the one hand oppressed, and on the other hand, an enabler of another's oppression. She did so much damage by keeping that secret - poor Norma got so twisted up by all the gaslighting, and no one was ever fully held accountable for it, though the novel was still clear about how awful it was and the negative effects it had. I would have liked to see some more anger expressed towards Norma's mother, and to have seen more of her original family's reactions to learning why Ruthie had been taken from them.

The above are all just things I wish we could have seen more of. I do have one criticism of the book aside from that though. I really didn't like how Norma's mother Lenore played into stereotypes about manipulative people with migraines. Her migraines were her key emotional manipulation tactic, and I really didn't appreciate that. While it's something that could certainly happen, one of the reasons that migraine isn't taken seriously as the massively debilitating disease it is is that people see it as something women fake to get out of things they don't want to do. There's plenty of research showing that. So, as someone whose life has been badly affected by chronic migraine (and OCD, which Norma's mother was also possibly implied to have), I didn't love that the author used this trope. It wasn't a dealbreaker, since it was technically plausible (migraine can be triggered by emotional upset), and the main characters in the novel were suffering from so many worse societal ills, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book. It is a heavy read, but it really shines in moments like the descriptions of the landscape and people's connections to it and Joe's memories of his sister. It provided insights into a way of life unknown to most people (including me) by exploring the social and economic realities of life for itinerant Indigenous berry pickers in Canada and Maine. While there were things I would have liked to see it explore more, it was a fantastic debut, and I look forward to seeing more from this author.

Content Warnings

laurrelise's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

alexklinect's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was expecting this novel to be historical fiction, focusing on the settings of Canada and Maine and the lives of Native American migrant workers, but instead it was more like a coming of age novel, highlighting universal themes instead of specific settings. In the book itself, the mystery was solved before it began, so the story wasn’t actually about the kidnapping or, really, about the berry pickers, either. The main characters are two people with separate but intertwining stories (split point of view) and how they find themselves as they grow older after traumatic experiences. If you’re looking for an emotional, reflective, “finding yourself” novel that resounds with both familial love and challenges, try this one.

3.5-4 stars

Content Warnings

aposthuma's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book tells a beautiful and heartbreaking story of a Native girl kidnapped as a child who grows up with no knowledge of her heritage. I love the humanity and complexity of the main characters, and the ending was so sweet.

Content Warnings