Amanda Peters’ The Berry Pickers is the winner of Barnes & Noble’s 2023 Discover Prize, given annually to a debut novel, the bookseller announced in a news release.
Peters’ book, published Tuesday by Catapult, follows two people: Joe, the brother of a Mi’kmaq girl who went missing years before in Maine, and Norma, a woman who discovers that her wealthy parents have been keeping secrets from her. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote that Peters “beautifully explores loss, grief, hope, and the invisible tether that keeps families intact even when they are ripped apart,” calling the novel “a quiet and poignant debut from a writer to watch.”
Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said in a statement, “There is something very special about starting on a debut novel and finding you are in the grip of a precocious talent. Amanda Peters’ writing is fabulously compelling. Our booksellers love this book, and we are thrilled to name it our 2023 Discover Prize winner.”
Peters beat out five other debut novels for the award: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars, John Manuel Arias’ Where There Was Fire, Brinda Charry’s The East Indian, Henry Hoke’s Open Throat, and Alice Winn’s In Memoriam.
The winner of the $10,000 award is voted on each year by Barnes & Noble’s booksellers. Last year, the prize went to Tess Gunty for The Rabbit Hutch.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
