yesteryear: a book so insane i read it in one sitting
"A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855 - where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel."
I mentioned this book in my previous post, titled "I Bought Too Many Books", where I discussed the books I planned on reading next. I'd thought this book would be amusing, but as I began reading it on Saturday afternoon, I realized within the first thirty pages that this would be much darker than I'd anticipated.
That was a pleasant surprise, though! It felt like an actual thriller, and I couldn't help but race through the book as I was eager to see how the actions of the main character, Natalie, became more and more convoluted. Of course, part of the fun of an unlikeable main character is also in seeing how they justify their shitty actions. In Yesteryear, there's the additional layer of "how does this pious Christian woman justify her actions to herself and to the Lord?"
There's something satisfying about seeing a hateful person who thinks they're better than everyone else as they they get their comeuppance. Seeing Natalie's struggles as the story flips back and forth between what led up to her business empire and her life in 1855 isn't always a delicious sort of karma, though. When a husband hits his wife in 1855... well, what rights would she have at that point in time? It doesn't feel gratifying to see Natalie's fear and desperation at points like this.
The first 80% of the story or so was incredible. It's at the end where I feel this story fell apart. No spoilers here, though! Just going to say that I don't think the author really had a solid plan for how to wrap up this book, and the route she went with meant that the last 20% of the book felt disjointed. Still, I really think that the story had so much going for it that I gave this a 4/5.
When I looked up from this book on Saturday night, I felt like I'd just stepped back into the world. What a crazy-ass book to read in one sitting. Also, what a crazy book for author Caro Claire Burke to put out as a debut! I've still been thinking about Yesteryear on and off throughout the day and have recommended this book to a few friends. Apparently this book has already been picked up for a movie adaptation, so I'll look forward to the eventual release!