I loved this book. I assumed from the beginning, with Norma’s “dreams,” that she was Ruthie and so the parallel narratives did not confuse me. I thought author gave a convincing account of what it might be like to go through childhood and into middle age with buried memories, the impact of never feeling comfortable with yourself because you know there are pieces of your family history that don’t add up, and being kept from you through a kind of emotional blackmail…Likewise, the author did a convincing job in showing how childhood guilt and grief could gradually eat away at a person like Joe. It made sense to show their journeys side by side, knowing from the start (“There’s someone here to see us… a lot of catching up to do”) that these two will reconnect. The dramatic tension is not what happened (that’s in the dust jacket), but how it all works out.
I agree. Knowing that they would be rejoined just made me more curious about how and when it would happen.
I like that this book discussed issues that impact the indigenous Indians, in particular, the this Mi’kimaq family who are migrants during the summer picking berries in Maine who experience various joys and hardships throughout their lives. They tell us stories about their migrant work in Maine, coming from Nova Scotia and how western values influenced their education, language, religious beliefs and how they viewed themselves as a people. Despite all their challenges and attitudes of others, they they manage in their own ways through perseverance, forgiveness, hope and unfailing love.
I loved the story of Ruthie’s family, their culture, their closeness, their relationships with the world. I knew from the beginning that the second story was closely linked to the first family. I enjoyed both voices, Joe and Norma. They were different and their unique voices were telling the story emotionally and physically.
I enjoyed reading the book and have recommended it to others. I found it interesting to read the story from two perspectives, Joe’s and Norma’s. I felt it was a story of understanding and strength, and ultimately love.
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to lots of readers and two book clubs. Although there are tough issues and scenes in this book, I found it to be at a different level than some of the Indigenous books I had been reading, especially those about the boarding schools. I am not sure I could take another one of them emotionally.
Also, love the cover!
We have The Berry Pickers on our book club calendar for May. We have read several books exploring Indigenous People in the past few years. We just discussed The Absolutely Ture Diary of a Part-Time Indian at our book club last night. It was a great discussion!
This was a really good read for me. It was sad without making me feel depressed and had a good amount of hope to keep me intrigued to keep reading to see how things came together.
I personally love stories with multiple POV so I enjoyed the flips between the two characters.
Family stories are my favorite to read and this touched on all the complexities of grief, loss, regret, frustration, trauma, anger that I often am so curious to see how people work through and make sense of. Yes, I agree the ending was obvious but honestly most of life is. I am more invested in the HOW and I thought this book covered that in a way that was engaging, emotional and honest.
I enjoyed reading The Berry Pickers. I had not previously read any novels based on indigenous people. The characters were engaging and authentic in their individual actions within such a tragedy. There was an ever-present undertone of sadness, but also familial strength to support one another.
i loved this book. It’s setting, plot, and characters will all stay with me for a while
I loved it. I thought that the way the author told the story in two very different voices enhanced the story. I thought that both of the main characters were well written. I was a bit confused at first about who Norma was and why she was intruding on Joe’s story but once I realized the connection, I loved the way that they each contributed to to total story.