Book Review: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
I love reading about content creators, so I was really excited when I read the book description of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We all have those influencers that we love to hate, and protagonist Natalie Heller Mills seems to fit the bill exactly. But this book was so much more than I thought it would be. Author Caro Claire Burke took a simple story about influencing and wove it into this story of how living your life for your social media followers can take you down a very dark path.
I read online that a movie/tv adaptation is already in the works starring Anne Hathaway. And after finish this book, I feel like she could be perfect for the role.
So if you want to learn all about this thriller and confusing new book release, keep reading. I’m going to be sharing all of my thoughts and opinions on Yesteryear by Caro Claire burke.
What is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke About?
My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.
Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.
A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood. (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
First things first. I have to say that I really love this cover. It perfectly depicts the traditionalness and the confusion of this story. Natalie might portray herself as the perfect traditional American woman, but there’s something off about it. And I like how this cover conveys this.
This story is really interesting because it’s something that chronically online people are used to. We see these influencers on youtube and instagram. I’m not going to name them, but it seems pretty obvious who the Mills family is very loosely based off of. They’re the perfect American family living the pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs.
But then the author created this dark and twisted backstory for Natalie. She’s a beautiful wife and doting mother, but she has secrets. There’s a lot that goes into being a tradwife influencer, but it’s a slippery slope to go down. Is it something that can be maintained forever? I really liked how we learned about Natalie’s past through flashbacks, and saw from the very beginning how she took control to make it look like she was living the perfect life.
The Twist
it’s SO GOOD! When we first meet Natalie, it is present day. She’s doing her best to maintain her business while also dealing with issues with her husband, kids, and producer. Natalie’s life might seems perfect and wholesome, but she actually has a lot on her plate. One night she’s discussing her husband’s politial future with him, and the next morning she wakes up in a cold house with her family in sight.
Where are they? Oh, they’re just in the next room gathered around the hearth and cooking breakfast over the fire. Why? Because it’s the 1800’s and they’re living a pioneer life.
This was such a fascinating plot twist and one that I didn’t understand for a majority of the book. Natalie spends days wondering if she has time traveled, or if she’s on a twisted reality show. Is she being watched? Where are the cameras? Is her husband Caleb in on this elaborate hoax.
I was so engrossed in this story until the final page of the epilogue. If you enjoy internet culture and find influencers fascinating, I think you will too.
Natalie is Not a Sympathetic Character
I was surprised because I really did not like her, but I really enjoyed reading about her as a main character. It’s funny how that works. Like, she was so nasty to her college roommate and I thought to myself, “Ok. She’s being a jerk, but one day she’ll realize what a jerk she was being and apologize. Or at least realize how nasty she was being.”
But no. She never does. Her entire adult life is spent being critical of others and judging them. Maybe that’s what narcissism is? I know that word is thrown around a lot and to be honest, I don’t know how to tell if someone has it or not.
This Book is Really Funny
Yesteryear is a satire story, and although it is dark at times it’s actually really funny at times too. I don’t really want to get into particulars because it’s better if you experience the humorous scenes first hand. But I think the author did a great job of writing about the horrors of being controlled by the patriarchy, while also pointing out the humor in trying to conform.
A big part of the large cultural conversation about trad wives is are they being controlled? Do they want this life, or do they feel like they have to live this life to please God and their husbands?
And the funny thing is that while Natalie might be considered a trad wife because of how she presents herself online, she’s also probaby the least subservient trad wife that’s ever existed. Her entire relationship with her husband is controlled by her (and sometimes his parents). When she wants something, she does what she has to do to get it. And this leads to a very wild story of her doing what she thinks she has to do to be happy, and yet not actually being happy.
Would I Recommend this Book?
Absolutely! I was in need of a 5 star read after my February reads were kind of meh, and this book got me out of my reading slump. I loved it.
In Conclusion
Thank you so much for checking out my book review of Yesteryear. This is Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel and I thought it was very entertaining and well written. I know that I’ll be following the news online for any updates on the film version! With Anne Hathaway involved, I believe it will be a very interesting adaptation.
