A powerful telling of two siblings separated for nearly 50 years, The Berry Pickers details the events shaping their lives. It explores the meaning of family and love that binds families together. A Mi’kmaq family of seven from Nova Scotia travels each summer to Maine to pick berries. One year, the youngest child, Ruthie, goes missing, and this novel details how siblings Joe and Norma (Ruthie) grow up, experience the challenges of adulthood, and follows the invisible string tying them together.
The emotional depth of this novel held my attention. It delves into heavy topics such as child loss, residential schools, alcoholism, and racism. However, I felt that the impact of these issues on Joe and Norma was not fully explored, but rather presented in brief anecdotes.
Written in a dual POV audio, this novel is shorter in size and a quick read despite the heaviness. Both narrators did an excellent job of capturing the emotional trials of their characters. I thought it was predictable during the first 20%, but I was surprised by all the events that ultimately unfolded. While I appreciated the handling of so many deep topics, something was missing. Perhaps it would have benefited from another perspective (possibly Joe and Ruthir’s mother) or just more details of how the rest of the family experienced this grief.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this novel and was emotionally invested in it from the beginning. However, I got bored by the end despite the narration and writing quality. I still recommend Berry Pickers and look forward to reading her future novels.
