Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Monday Mini-Reviews: The Berry Picker

November started off with some fantastic reading.  The Berry Pickers is a hidden gem that I didn't know anything about until I started seeing it pop everywhere on Instagram. It is  easily a five-star read and I am fairly certain it will be one of my favorite books of 2023.





In July of 1962 a four year old Ruthie, a Mi'kmaq girl, disappears from a field in Maine where she and her family are picking blueberries.  Despite searching for her, the family is not able to find her and eventually return to their home in Nova Scotia.  Ruthie's brother, Joe, is devastated by the loss of his sister, and despite the passage of years, never really gets over it.

In the current day, Joe narrates part of this story as he lays dying of cancer.  The other narrator is Norma, an only child who grew up in a wealthy family with an overprotective mother and a feeling as though there is a family secret that she is unable to really uncover or understand until decades have passed. 

This isn't really a mystery because you will immediately know who Norma is and what happened to Ruthie, but the writing is so good, the story so well crafted, that I couldn't put this book down and yet didn't want it to end.  If you are looking for the perfect novel, a book club selection, a book to gift to someone, The Berry Pickers would be a perfect choice.

1 comment:

Kay said...

What a beautiful cover! Those blueberries look yummy. Will keep this one in mind. Thanks for sharing about it!