THE BERRY PICKERS

THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters

I have a love for blueberries. We grow them, pick them, eat them, freeze them, and bake with them. All truth be told, my kids get tired of them, but I don't! I love their juicy freshness, and they will forever be a tie to my Michigan grandparents for me. When I saw Amanda Peters' The Berry Pickers while I was perusing the shelves at the bookstore, I snatched it up. The cover artwork alone is captivating, not to mention it combines blueberries, family, and mystery all together and serves up one very engaging story.

The book follows a Mi'kmaq family who every year leaves Nova Scotia and heads to Maine to pick berries for a wealthy blueberry farmer, Mr. Ellis. Told from the perspective of the second to youngest child, six- year-old Joe, this hauntingly beautiful story shares the guilt he carries about the disappearance of his youngest sister, 4-year-old Ruthie, from the fields one day. He was the last person to see her and even though he had nothing to do with the disappearance, he cannot let go of the idea that he should have done more. She is gone without a trace. Every year the family returns, they search for Ruthie. Was she taken, was she killed? These are questions that the family wonders for years until ..... That's all the further I'll go. Just be prepared for a book with high emotion, and some good old twists and turns.

HEADS UP- Yes, there are two things we have to discuss a moment. One is the language. There is a fair amount in this book including a handful of F-bombs. Second, there are two women who spend a lot of time together. You wonder if there is a relationship and it is not until the end when one of the women is asked about it. She acknowledges it, but talks about the times (1960s-70s) and that they both enjoyed having their own homes and some space. There are no romantic details to the relationship. They are just typically together.