A review by titalindaslibrary
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.25

I don't care that she "loved her", I want to fight Norma's/Ruthie's kidnapper.

This was a slow but tender reflection on intergenerational trauma and the different masks that racism can wear. Whether it's violent or subtle, the wounds it can create runs deep. 

I did find it difficult at time to read Joe's perspective, as his walk down memory lane reveal a descent into alcoholism and an incident of domestic abuse. The depiction of Norma's complicated relationship with her mother was done with nuance, and at the end when the secret is revealed, I felt all the confused anger Norma felt as my own. My rage might have been a little more clearcut, but that's because I only experienced her life via a 300+ page book and not the decades she spent in a lie.