Plot Summary
Four-year-old Ruthie goes missing from the blueberry fields where the family works. On the other side, we have a young girl Norma growing up haunted by recurring dreams and faint memories which are hushed away by her parents as her imagination. This is the story of two families and two mothers, where one keeps losing child after child to some mishappening while the other loses them before birth. As it turns out, Ruthie and Norma are the same girl and it was the pain & suffering of the mother that led her to kidnap someone else’s child. The story brings life full circle when the grown woman Ruthie is reunited with her birth family and the instant bond she strikes with them.
Pluses
* A solid, soulful storyline with immense depth
* Beautiful narration
* Immaculately crafted characters – Joe, Charlie, Ben, Ruthie/Norma, Aunt June, Alice and others
* Full of love, feelings and ‘family’
* The life of berry pickers on a foreign land well depicted
* The love of a mother – 2 mothers, contrasting situations, both in a ways two sides of the same coin
* Heart wrenching sequences that overwhelm you – be it the mother in a care home, Joe & Ruthie lying on the ground & watching the stars above, Joe losing Ruthie sitting on the rock eating a sandwich, – or be it the reunion of a lost child with the birth family
Minuses
* None *
Verdict
The Berry Pickers is a book with soul. It is written with a lot of heart and love which gets conveyed instantly. A heart-wrenching read that makes you cry but also fills you with happiness to see life make amends and all turning well in the end. It exudes hope and brightness as it ends. A flawless story that deserves to be read & retold.