The Birthing Tree - by Amanda Peters (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Carnegie-Winning Author - Winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize - A New Yorker Best Book of the Year

From the bestselling author of The Berry Pickers, an unforgettable novel about a woman who must confront her family's buried truths and memories of passionate young love when her grandmother's death leaves her as the only guide to her community's future

Born under the shadow of a birthing tree sacred to generations of Mi'kmaq women, Aliet Paul grows up outside a small Nova Scotia town with her fierce, loving grandmother Kiju. Her mother died bringing Aliet into the world under that very tree; her father remains a mystery no one will name. Aliet's childhood is shaped by seasonal apple pickers, the medicinal wisdom of the old ways, and the quiet, steadfast presence of John, a boy who becomes her anchor.

But the world beyond their community is changing. Traditional midwifery is condemned, prejudice deepens, and when the wrong person witnesses a birth, the consequences are disastrous. As Aliet comes of age, she navigates love, loss, and a personal tragedy that veers her from the path her grandmother wanted for her. She becomes a nurse trained in modern medicine, yet she carries Kiju's teachings close, tucked beside memories of the tree that once welcomed new life.

Years later, when the call comes that Kiju has died, Aliet returns home to a crumbling house, a community scattered, and a past she thought she'd outrun. As Aliet restores the house room by room, something inside her stirs awake: the threads of her lineage, the old ways of her grandmother, and the mystery of her own bloodline.

As Aliet digs to uncover who her family really is, each revelation pulls her deeper into a web of long-guarded silences, dangerous loyalties, and generational wounds that refuse to stay buried: Someone knew the truth about her mother's final moments. Someone knew what happened in the orchard all those years ago. And someone wants the past to remain undisturbed.

Spanning decades of loss and reclamation, this sweeping yet intimate novel follows one woman's journey to protect the land, the traditions, and the memory of the women who came before her--and to decide which parts of her inheritance she will carry into the future.

Review Quotes

An Amazon Editors' Pick
A Los Angeles Times, A Best Book of September
A Goodreads Big Book for Fall
A Town and Country Must Read Book for Fall
Named a Most Anticipated Book by Literary Hub, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, & Zibby Owens

"Peters follows up her excellent 2023 debut, The Berry Pickers, with another dive into Nova Scotia's M'ikmaq first peoples, this time focusing on Aliet Paul, a nurse whose grandmother Kiju taught her a great deal about their tribe's midwifery. Aliet decides, after Kiju dies, to return permanently to her homeplace. Her reasons for leaving involve both the recent and far-off past, which the author brings to a powerful place in her conclusion." --Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times

"A gorgeous, historical work of literary fiction that explores family, legacy, and the secrets that bind us." --Ameema Saeed, She Does the City

"Peters explores the importance of maintaining a connection to one's heritage, the effects of secrets and trauma that ripple down through future generations, and the impacts of grief. This one is a great fit for fans of literary fiction and stories with a strong sense of place." --Cindy Burnett, The Buzz Magazines

"[A] grounded, glimmering, earthy yet mystical novel . . . The Birthing Tree will enchant readers with its resplendent portrait of heritage, tradition, and home." --Julia Hass, Literary Hub

"An impactful novel of community and personal growth, The Birthing Tree adds another facet to the conversation about the history of Indigenous people in North America." --Lauren Bufferd, BookPage

"Peters draws on her Mi'kmaq heritage for this nuanced depiction of the tribe and its threatened traditions . . . The alternating storylines gradually converge, and the narrative builds to a satisfying resolution. It's a tender story of self-discovery and the power of generations of women." --Publishers Weekly

"Seeking a highly regarded, award-winning writer? Then try The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters." --Library Journal

"The Birthing Tree offers a full-circle narrative that weaves together an individual, her family, Indigenous culture, the Americas, and nature. With its translucent sentences and strong structures, this richly dimensional story will deeply affect readers." --Booklist

"Peters punctuates the chapters of Aliet's narrative with brief italicized comments on her journey; by the end, their source is clear, and roots the novel even more firmly in traditional culture. Without being directly addressed, the matriarchal feminism of that culture comes through loud and clear. A quietly compelling portrait of a young woman finding her truth." --Kirkus Reviews

"Sometimes the most urgent mysteries come from our ancestors, as Amanda Peters expertly demonstrates in this triumphant follow-up to her powerhouse first novel, The Berry Pickers. The Birthing Tree is a wonder of elegant prose and deep insight, honoring the lives of generations of Mi'kmaq women born beneath the tree's arms. The death of a beloved grandmother sweeps us into a multi-generational mystery that is absorbing, fascinating, and ultimately redemptive. Peters excels at understanding the complexities of human connections--our guarded secrets and shames, our loyalties and prejudices. 'Without our stories, we are lost.' This author works to chart the way home." --Mona Susan Power, author of A Council of Dolls

About the Author

AMANDA PETERS is a writer of Mi'kmaq and settler ancestry. Her debut novel, The Berry Pickers, won the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the 2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Great Writers Award. The novel was also named the Best Book of the Year by Amazon, The New Yorker, and People Magazine, among others. The title story from her short story collection, Waiting for the Long Night Moon, won the 2021 Indigenous Voices Award for Unpublished Prose. She lives in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia.