Review: Yesteryear

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An interesting exploration of morality, fame, and identity.

Natalie is an influencer who has made a name for herself as a 'tradwife' - a 'traditional' wife who cooks, cleans, takes care of the children and basically works to keep the home in order (documenting it all online, of course) while her husband works hard on their farm. One morning, she wakes to discover that things have changed - she's seemingly been transported back to an earlier time, where her children are not quite her children and her home is not quite her home.

Such an interesting premise, and instantly compelling in its portrayal of Natalie - our protagonist is not particularly likeable, though she believes herself to be the perfect Christian wife and mother, and an example to all. It's her arrogance - bordering on delusion - that makes her such a fascinating character, particularly when thrust into the harsh reality of a life she claimed to already be living.

As the story progresses, we unravel Natalie as a character, learning more about her faith and her beliefs without ever really getting close. The tangled web of who she wants to be, who she pretends to be for others, and who she honestly, truly is, is impossible to unravel so naturally the reader fluctuates between feelings of loathing and of sympathy, with everything else in between.

This book hits hard because there's a brutal truth to it that focuses in on online personalities and forces the reader to confront how their own life differs from their online personality. There's an important consideration of what is shared and its cost; how the effort to capture perfection wears away at Natalie and how many layers are built up between her truth and her reality.

At the same time, the story propels the reader into an older, more simpler time, where living was much more challenging but not without its own benefits.

Yesteryear is the kind of story that many will find relatable in one way or another, despite sharing no commonality with Natalie herself. It's a story that explores the nature of being ourselves versus being what we think the world wants us to be. It's insightful and clever but also just wildly entertaining. I expect female readers in particular to be entranced by this one, and highly recommend to those curious to come at feminism from a different angle.


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