The Berry Pickers

 By Nate Feldman

The Berry Pickers is a 2023 debut novel by Amanda Peters.  The story is narrated by two characters, Joe and Norma.  They are Mi'kmaq Native Americans from Nova Scotia whose family went to Maine each year to pick blueberries.  Norma was originally Ruthie, but she was abducted while her family was berry picking in Maine by Frank and Lenore, a local couple that had a history of miscarriages and wanted a child.  Joe was Ruthie's older brother, and he was supposed to be watching her when she vanished.  This event haunts him for most of his life.

The story goes back and forth from Joe and Norma, each telling what their lives were like from childhood up until Joe is dying from cancer in his mid-50s.  In addition to losing his sister, Joe's brother Charlie is killed at a carnival by local Native Americans, another traumatizing event that sends him into a world of despair where becomes an alcoholic, an abusive husband, and an absent father who travels throughout Canada working job to job, never really finding stability until he is sick.  

Meanwhile, Norma recalls being raised by an overprotective mother who is trying to hide her real identity from her at all costs.  Norma has images of her previous life, but she is told that these are dreams and fantasies from her mother.  She realizes she looks different from her parents, but they make up stories to convince her that any suspicions she has are not real.  She grows up, lives with her Aunt in Boston for a while, gets married, but after a miscarriage of her own, decides she doesn't want children which leads to divorce.  

This novel is beautifully written and gives and has many engrossing themes layered into it.  It reveals the power that one tragic event, the kidnapping of young Ruthie, can have on people both immediately and into subsequent generations.  The power of family and forgiveness is also found throughout the story.  The author, who is partially Mi'kmaq herself, also educates the readers quite extensively on a culture that perhaps many people are less familiar with.  I strongly recommend this book.