A review by morethanmylupus
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was a compelling story about a Mi’kmaq girl, Ruthie, who goes missing. The story explores the role of racism and how Native populations are often treated by police, the impact of the loss of the little girl on their family, and her own investigation into her past as an adult. 

I thought the family impacts were well fleshed out and I enjoyed getting to know them, particularly her brother, Joe, who narrates parts of the story. But, I felt like the role of the white people in this story were inconsistently mapped out. We get a lot of the impact of the white people the family interacts with at the beginning when Ruthie goes missing, but I think they were left off the hook for their role in what happened to Ruthie and the it's far-reaching impact. 

Overall, I enjoyed this story and the audiobook narration, and I'd definitely pick up another book by this author.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.


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