Yesteryear A Novel

"Funny and sharp enough to draw blood from both sexes. This book is going to be around for a long time. It's a feminist Catch-22."
Stephen King

Mesmerizing. . . . An ingenious, exquisite, be-careful-what-you-wish-for. . . . In Burke s biting prose, Natalie is an electric antiheroine. . . . Revelatory. . . . Yesteryear draws to a dizzying conclusion.
The New York Times Book Review

One of the year s most relentlessly fast-paced and satisfying novels, a sharp and witty social satire that also works as a taut thriller and a vexing work of speculation. . . . Unusually ambitious for a debut novel and also uncannily astute about the complicated, contradictory times in which we live.
-Boston Globe

The closest we ll get inside a tradwife s real and imperfect mind. . . . Burke doesn t hold back. . . . The humor is delightful. . . . I laughed out loud. . . . Burke s writing is honest and accessible. She s not trying to slander Natalie; she s trying to show us the unvarnished version. At the end of the day, that s the paradox of Yesteryear and one that makes it worth reading.
Ginny Horan, The Cut

Bitingly funny and occasionally heartbreaking. . . . Burke deftly paints a portrait of a woman whose sharp edges and supreme capability put her at odds with everyone in her life. . . . More than a giddy, gory tale of a tradwife s comeuppance Emotionally resonant.
Los Angeles Times

Bracing There are more than a few satisfying twists that kept me reading late into the night. . . . Juicy, vindictive and loads of fun.
Mother Jones

"Intelligent and fully imagined. . . . While the novel ultimately rejects the anti-urban, anti-modern chauvinism of the tradwife, Natalie s arguments for her way of life are compellingly rendered. . . . Yesteryear achieves a psychological persuasiveness."
The Baffler

Burke keeps the reader guessing. . . . I had no idea where the story was going and found myself genuinely surprised at the end.
Elle

"Caro s writing grabbed me by the throat and wouldn t let go.
Anne Hathaway

An absolutely unhinged (in a good way) novel about a lifestyle influencer. . . . When I tell you the ending is off the rails, I am telling you the ending is off the rails.
Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist

"The canniest fictional dissection of femininity and the panopticon of social media. . . . A rollicking satirical debut."
Vogue, "The Best Books of 2026"

"Tackling pop culture ideas of trad wives, social media and the curated reality shown on Instagram, while also exploring more serious themes of religious conservatism, the debut is witty, funny and thought-provoking."
The Independent (UK)

"Has the kind of premise it s hard to look away from. . . . I myself read Yesteryear in one long rush, unable to put it down. . . . Has a gripping, thriller-like pacing."
Constance Grady, Vox

"Perfect wife, perfect life? Think again. A bold and biting satire, Yesteryear examines the power of social media to spin a lie so deep, it turns 'home sweet home' into a prison. Page-turning and illuminating, this caustic look at the tradwife will have you cackling and gasping right to the final page."
Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series

Yesteryear is the novel I didn t know I needed. Inventive, addictive, and perfectly funny, this is a dark, biting social commentary on the many performances of modern womanhood and the cultural age we re living in. A wild, thought-provoking ride, sure to be one of my favorite books of the year.
Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

Wickedly funny, beautifully written, and frighteningly perceptive. Caro Claire Burke doesn't just expose the underbelly of a tradwife's immaculate Instagram, but ideals of motherhood, marriage, and America. It's unforgettable. (How the hell could you forget Natalie?)
Abigail Dean, New York Times bestselling author of Girl A

"Shot through with humour and yet laced with darkness, Yesteryear had me turning the pages late into the night."
Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author of I Let You Go

"This debut novel blends satire and psychological thriller as it follows Natalie, a modern influencer alternately loved and hated for her so-called tradwife lifestyle, as she s suddenly thrust back into the actual life of a tradwife: that is, a farm in 1855. . . . You'll want to read this one ASAP."
Marie Claire

"Everyone is going to be talking about this book."
Bella Mackie, bestselling author of How to Kill Your Family

Yesteryear is unapologetically political fiction in the tradition of The Stepford Wives or The Handmaid s Tale. Burke takes us right into the belly of the beast. Enraging, thrilling often grimly funny in the way of good satire, but still intensely humane. Easily one of my favorites of the year.
Hannah Deitch, author of Killer Potential

"I could barely put this book down. Such a clever excavation of motherhood and faith and online fame. Highly original and utterly addictive."
Louise O Neill, author of Asking for It

"Intelligent, incisive and insanely readable, Yesteryear had me obsessed from page one. Everyone will be talking about it!"
Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

"Insanely good, totally fresh, sharp and spiky. It reminded me of Gone Girl, with its unreliable, intensely unlikeable narrator, amazing twist and needlepoint observations. It s going to be seismic."
Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars

"Deliciously topical as tradwives and pronatalism dominate the headlines, with a chef s kiss of a twist. One to gobble in one."
Pandora Sykes, author of How Do We Know We re Doing it Right?

"Unpredictable, original and beautifully written. I couldn t guess the genius ending my mind was blown!"
Adele Parks, author of Just Between Us

"A propulsive page turner, impossible to put down. . . . Wickedly entertaining. . . . As it sends up both MAGA and online culture, this deliciously funny, topical, and fiercely intelligent debut also probes deeper questions about authenticity, ambition, kindness, celebrity, consumerism, and what it means to be a woman in America today. . . . In Natalie, Burke has given us an absolutely riveting character. . . . A remarkable debut both a book for the moment and one that will endure."
Kirkus (starred review)

"Burke captures much of the zeitgeist in Natalie's increasingly delusional, overall disturbing state of mind in both time periods and in other characters' collisions with it. The seductive topic, unreliable narrator, and surprisingly creepy vibes are sure to draw readers in and keep them guessing."
Booklist (starred review)

Readers won t be able to look away. . . . Captivating.
Library Journal

"An entertaining and unpredictable debut that readers will yearn to discuss. . . . It s pretty much impossible not to be bewitched and bewildered by the novel s complicated main character. Natalie may be unlikable, but . . . many of her choices are understandable."
BookPage

Nightmarish, shocking, brilliant. Stylist (UK)