In the unlikely instance you’ve found yourself questioning why I haven’t addressed a book club book pick as of late (I assume you have better things to do with your time), allow me to explain. I unwillingly had to skip out on the last chosen book, but I am pleased to report that I’m back on the wagon, and my book club’s pick for this month is Yesteryear by Caro Clair Burke, which was actually only published in April of this year.
Yesteryear offers readers one hell of a plot, and it is one I haven’t come across yet; it tells the story of a woman named Natalie, a self-proclaimed, God-fearing, traditional farm wife who has found tremendous success with documenting her and her family’s life on their farm via social media. In short, she’s an influencer, and a rather successful one at that.
Natalie and her family (although mainly just Natalie) pride themselves on their simple and conventional life on their farm, with much of her content depicting homemade recipes and quiet moments on the ranch, named Yesteryear. She conveys a picture of innocence and utmost happiness to her followers, but is very careful to hide her authentic self from the public eye.
One morning, Natalie wakes up and finds herself at a bit of a loss; she is in her home, with her family, except her home isn’t how she remembers it, nor are her family members. It seems as though her desire to live an authentic farm life has come to pass, except she doesn’t want to live this way.
I’m roughly halfway through the book, and while the plot idea is brilliant, I’m having a lot of difficulty stomaching Natalie’s character. I do think this book is a read because the plot is so unique, but be warned that the narrator is rather insufferable.
Photo by Peter Thomas on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 