The Berry Pickers

By Amanda Peters

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Winner
Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years

"A stunning debut about love, race, brutality, and the balm of forgiveness." --People, A Best New Book

July 1962. Following in the tradition of Indigenous workers from Nova Scotia, a Mi'kmaq family arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family's youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister's disappearance for years to come.

In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren't telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.

"An unforgettable exploration of grief, love, and kin," (The Boston Globe), this show stopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1646222385
• ISBN13: 9781646222384
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Catapult
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Book Review: it's okay!

The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters Read 07/20/25 to 08/06/25 ⭐⭐⭐ I really like novels based on Maine, it's always nice to see my state represented in literature and other media. It also adds some charm and mystery to our history. Joe's chapters were a little slow, boring, and jumped around a lot. How old is he, when did this thing happen etc. I stayed engaged to learn about what Ruthi's lied was like after being taken. Long chapters also made it hard to get through the book quickly (personal reading preference). I felt the beginning gave away the plot too much, made it obvious what happened and who was who, took away the mystery for me. There wasn't a "puzzle" to solve. I would describe this book as "okay". Not bad, but not super great or memorable. I like the book being based on Maine in the 1960s. While it's not a true story, it is still historical in a way, shining a light on how indigenous people were treated. Even in 2025, minority groups don't get the respect they deserve. I added some book club notes from my meeting this month as well; Book Club Consensus! •Joe sucks, and got more than he deserved at the end of his life •Ruthie had minimal personality and character development. There were some mixed feelings on how she handled her miscarriage and divorce with her husband (who we all said was a great guy)