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A review by bookishevy
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
During the summer of 1962, 4-year-old Ruthie vanishes weeks after her family arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the season. The last person to see her is Joe, her 6-year-old brother.
The story is told from two perspectives.
Joe, who is now in palliative care at 56 and still devastated over his sister’s disappearance, narrates how his family coped with the grief of missing Ruthie; and Norma, who recounts growing up as the only child in an affluent family in Maine, with a cold father and a bias, domineering mother who constantly tries to convince her that the recurring visions she has that feel like memories are just dreams.
Norma is obviously Ruthie. This isn't a mystery for the reader, who Norma takes on an emotional journey as she unravels her family's secret. You get the sense that she knows there's something her parents aren't telling her, but her intuition hasn't prepared her for the magnitude of the truth.
I tried having empathy for the woman who raised Norma, but her grief doesn't make it okay to snatch up someone else's child. It was more her beliefs about Native Americans that made her think Ruthie needed saving. She pays for what she did in guilt and spends the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, worrying if someone will take Norma away.
In Nova Scotia, Joe suffers with his own guilt. He struggles the most with Ruthie's disappearance and other losses the family endures because he feels most responsible. His trauma leads to self-medication with alcohol and he rages against people he loves, leading to self-alienation.
But if Norma learns the truth, maybe she could reunite with her family and feel the love that was absent during her upbringing and give Joe some closure before he crosses over.
I was in shambles 😩
The story is told from two perspectives.
Joe, who is now in palliative care at 56 and still devastated over his sister’s disappearance, narrates how his family coped with the grief of missing Ruthie; and Norma, who recounts growing up as the only child in an affluent family in Maine, with a cold father and a bias, domineering mother who constantly tries to convince her that the recurring visions she has that feel like memories are just dreams.
Norma is obviously Ruthie. This isn't a mystery for the reader, who Norma takes on an emotional journey as she unravels her family's secret. You get the sense that she knows there's something her parents aren't telling her, but her intuition hasn't prepared her for the magnitude of the truth.
I tried having empathy for the woman who raised Norma, but her grief doesn't make it okay to snatch up someone else's child. It was more her beliefs about Native Americans that made her think Ruthie needed saving. She pays for what she did in guilt and spends the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, worrying if someone will take Norma away.
In Nova Scotia, Joe suffers with his own guilt. He struggles the most with Ruthie's disappearance and other losses the family endures because he feels most responsible. His trauma leads to self-medication with alcohol and he rages against people he loves, leading to self-alienation.
But if Norma learns the truth, maybe she could reunite with her family and feel the love that was absent during her upbringing and give Joe some closure before he crosses over.
I was in shambles 😩
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping