Point of View

The Berry Pickers is written from the first-person point of view of the main characters, Joe and Norma. Every other chapter of the novel is written from Joe’s and from Norma’s perspectives. The chapters told from Joe’s point of view are labeled with Joe’s name, and the chapters written from Norma’s point of view are labeled with her name. By allowing the characters’ storylines to intersect in this manner, the author creates a parallel between their seemingly disparate narrative accounts. As the novel unfolds, similarities accrue between the narrators’ realities and intensify the overarching narrative atmosphere. Furthermore, in dividing the novel between Joe’s and Norma’s first person points of view, the author captures the siblings' indelible bond in spite of their longtime physical separation from one another.

Joe’s portions of the novel are most interested in memory...