About:
Yesteryear by Caro Clair Burke follows a social media momfluencer living on a farm, suddenly finding herself living the in the past. Ms. Burke is a podcaster and author; this is her debut novel.
- 400 pages
- Publisher : Knopf
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 059380421X
My rating for Yesteryear – 4
Buy Yesteryear from Amazon.com*
More books by Caro Clair Burke*
Thoughts:
There’s not a redeemable, relatable or likeable adult character in this book, they’re all deviant, socially inept, rude and insensitive. In short, they’re all scumbags, and none bigger than Natalie, the protagonist, and Shannon, her social-medial producer.
Nevertheless, Yesteryear by Caro Clair Burke is a wonderful book for book clubs. I read it after my wife and liked it much more than she did, but we spent a few hours discussing it.
The author captures claustrophobia and the effort it takes to live a fake life which is what online clout demands. Natalie is an unlikeable human being, hypocritical, self-absorbed, judgmental and with a superiority complex that makes Lady Macbeth look timid.
Natalie worships social-media feedback loops so much that her perception of the virtual world becomes all encompassing, while the real world is just there to supply raw materials to her content (she calls all her employees by their position “Nanny”, “Producer”, etc. along with their first name, and doesn’t recognize her kids if they’re not in their assigned rooms) . In chasing an idealized fantasy, Natalie becomes increasingly detached from her responsibilities as a mother, wife, farmer, and simply being a decent human being.
This is a real issue, unfortunately, that we see every day, not to this extent, but almost daily there are videos of courtrooms where people who practice “Internet stupidity” in real life, get a shock when faced with real life consequences.
Shannon, her producer, is just as big a jerk as her employer, specifically taking the job to ruin her life. She documents her hypocrisy with behind-the-scenes videos and photos, have an affair with her husband, and turning her life into a battleground fought in the public eye, destroying her empire and fragile mental stability while she’s at it.
And all the people who start filming others in distress, or with intent to ruin their lives instead of trying to help – you're scumbags too.
What was your reaction to Shannon's role in doxxing Natalie and ruining the farm? Do you view Shannon as a whistleblower or an opportunistic betrayer?
The pacing slows down in the middle, and the several characters are not fleshed out. Caleb’s family (Natalie’s in-laws) for example, are as cartoonish as many James Bond villains. But the social commentary, and the no holds barred commentary on society’s dangerous habit of replacing performance for Internet points while ignore reality is on the nose.
Synopsis:
Natalie Heller Mills is a successful social-media influencer, who built an empire from her farm in Idaho. She publishes posts about her perfect farm and healthy living, making bread, raising her children and celebrating domestic bliss with her farmer husband.
Her perfect virtual life shatters when she finds herself living in the 18th Century, forced to live the harsh reality she fictionalized. Natalie can’t decide if she time traveled, part of a hoax, or in a reality show.
Buy Yesteryear from Amazon.com*
More books by Caro Clair Burke*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I bought book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on bo
