The Berry Pickers

July 1962

A Mi’kmaq family in need of money traveled from Nova Scotia to Maine to work in the berry fields. One day, four-year-old Ruthie went missing. Her six-year-old brother, Joe, was the last person to see her, and he will be haunted for the rest of his life about her disappearance and the last minutes they spent before she went missing.

Norma grew up in Maine with a distant father and hoovering mother. She has recurring dreams that feel like memories. She has always had questions and will spend decades trying to uncover what secrets her parents are keeping from her.

This is a slow, sad tale about a family whose daughter went missing without a clue and about a woman who wants to uncover a family secret. Family is a major theme in this book about loss, secrets, anger, family, identity, and heartbreak. I appreciated how the author showed the aftermath of losing a child, of not having any answers, how it impacts the family as a whole and the individual family members. The author also showed how feeling different, having questions, and secrets impacted another individual.

I enjoyed this book, but it was lacking that little bit of something that would have made the book more enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and struggled initially with the male narration. I am not sure if this impacted my thoughts on the book, but it was a struggle in the beginning. I found that I had a hard time connecting to the characters even with them experiencing great loss and the impact it had on their lives. Although this book does deal with some heavy subjects, it does end on a hopeful note.

Many are enjoying this book more than I did, please read their reviews as well.

This book will have triggers for some as it deals with loss, addiction, miscarriage, illness, and kidnapping to name a few.

Thank you to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.