Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: A Sharp and Unsettling Commentary on Influencer Culture

When the Fantasy Becomes Reality

What would happen if someone who built an entire career romanticizing the past was suddenly forced to live in it?

That fascinating questions sits at the heart of Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke's sharp, unsettling, and wildly entertaining debut novel. The story follows Natalie Heller Mills, a very successful social media influencer (🙄) whose carefully curated "traditional wife" (🙄) lifestyle has earner her millions of followers. She presents a picture-perfect life filled with homemade bread, motherhood, faith, and rustic living. Then one day she wakes up in what appears to be 1855 and discovers that the reality of the past is far different from the life she has been selling online.

What I Loved

The greatest strength of this novel is its main character. Natalie is not particularly likeable, but she is endlessly fascinating. Burke creates a protagonist who is ambitious, intelligent, flawed, and often deeply contradictory. As the story unfolds, readers are forced to confront uncomfortable questions about authenticity, ambition, and the roles women are expected to play.

The novel also offers a biting critique of influencer culture. Through Natalie, Burke explores the gap between what people present online and what their lives look like behind the scenes. The book examines how social media can turn family life, motherhood, and even personal identity into a performance.

I was especially drawn to the darker themes (of course) involving fame, image management, and the pressure to maintain a perfect public persona. These elements gave the noel an almost gothic quality despite its modern setting.

The Performance of Motherhood

I mean, me personally, I am not a mother. I have never planned to be a mother nor will I ever plan to be a mother. The issues Natalie encounters re motherhood in this book plainly spell out why. From her description of the birth and postpartum of her first child to the day to day unpredictability to surprisingly enough, the mundane, are all top tier reasons why I will never be a mother. That being said, this book highlights the destruction turning motherhood into content can cause. Like, how do you leave your whole baby in the car when you are shopping? And then let a follower catch you? Girlllllllllllll...............

Social Media Versus Reality

What more is there to say? We all know what we see on social media is not only curated but a far cry from what the influencer or content creator actually experiences. This bitch had whole nannies and producers but was making it seem like oh look at my perfect little life with my perfect five and a half kids and my perfect "farm ranch" husband. Let's not forget that online her husband was the sole proprietor of the ranch but baby you were picking up workers at Home Depot every morning to work the property. Let's also not forget that her husband was selling "organic" vegetables at the market but y'all had pesticides in the barn. Lol bye. And filming the children without informed consent? Especially when one says "stop filming me" repeatedly?

Traditional Gender Roles and Modern Expectations

The whole idea of "trad wife" makes me fucking sick. This aspect of the book really ground my gears. Because why am I going to cater to a man that doesn't even work? And lives off of Daddy's money? Absolutely fucking not. However, I will say that placing a modern "trad wife" into an actual historical setting highlighted the difference between romanticizing traditional roles and living under the restrictions that go with them. Wash laundry in buckets? No. Catch fish in the river and make soup for dinner? Hell no. Trying to escape and getting my foot caught in a bear trap? Miss me with that.

Religious Identity and Public Image

Faith played an important role in Natalie's public persona. A feminist icon, they said. She is living life the way it should be, they said. This is one aspect of the novel I did like-the crossroads of sincere belief, community expectations, and personal branding. Yes, Natalie may love the Lord on Instagram, but when it comes down to it, is she living as Yeshua would? No. Yeshua did not give a fuck about likes, comments, Angry Women, or sponsorships. He was authentic in every aspect of His life. Unlike Natalie, whose online performance eventually became her identity.

Final Thoughts and My Rating

Yesteryear is one of those books that lingers after the final page. It is darkly funny, thought-provoking, and deeply unsettling in all the best ways. Whether you view it as satire, thriller, social commentary, or psychological character study, it delivers plenty to think about and discuss.

If you enjoy novels that explore the darker side of social media, complicated female characters, and stories that challenge cultural narratives, Yesteryear deserves a place on your reading list.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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