This is a story of a Mi'kmaq family from Nova Scotia who are migrant workers. There are five children (Ben, Mae, Charlie, Joe & Ruthie), and their parents are attentive and loving. One day, when the family is berry picking in Maine, Joe (6) and Ruthie (4) are eating their lunch on their own (too young to pick berries with the rest of their family). Joe wanders away from Ruthie briefly to feed his sandwich bread to the birds. When he walks back to where Ruthie was sitting, she is gone. This is the turning point in all of their lives. The deep loss, the feelings of guilt, the endless searching for Ruthie year after year. When I was more than halfway through, I put the book down for a week. Joe is the narrator for the family, so we learn first hand about all the horrible, destructive choices he makes. It's just one awful thing after another. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I'm not a big fan of these type books. It's difficult to read about someone self-destructing.
The other narrator is Norma, who lives with her mom and dad in Boston. It's a lonely life. Her mother is super overprotective and her dad is fairly distant. Norma doesn't have any friends because her mother never lets her out of her sight except for school. She finally is allowed to leave for a weekend camp, which is where she meets her first friend. The person Norma is actually closest to is her mother's sister, Aunt June. Fortunately Aunt June visits a lot, along with her "friend" (aka her secret significant other) Alice. Alice is a therapist, and Norma grows close to her not only because of Aunt June, but because she starts see "Alice the therapist" to deal with her constant dreams that are confusing and upsetting. Alice tells Norma to journal her dreams, which comes in handy decades later. When Norma reaches adulthood, she also makes some hurtful decisions which I had a difficult time stomaching. Both Joe and Norma were significantly emotionally damaged.
When I finally picked the book up again to finish it, I read the rest in one sitting. There were tears involved too. The ending was so emotional. I found myself really loving it. Although not everyone in the family survives to meet "Norma" aka Ruthie, and the reunion is LONG overdue, since Ruthie is in her 50s by this point, the ending involved forgiveness (of self and others), redemption, and the resilience of family love.
Wendy's Rating: ****
No comments:
Post a Comment