Yesteryear (adult fiction)

     "And who was I?

     A flawless Christian woman. The manic pixie dream girl of this nation's deepest, darkest fantasies. The mother every woman wanted to be, and the wife every man wanted to come home to. Like a nun in a porno, it didn't make sense, but also, by God: it worked.

    My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive."

     Natalie, protagonist of Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear, feels herself truly blessed. She, husband Caleb, and their five children (she's pregnant with the sixth) live on a beautiful supposedly organic farm. To her many social media followers she epitomizes the perfect traditional Christian wife and mother. Her children are home schooled and device free. (Kind of ironic for an influencer, wouldn't you say?) The sale of tutorials and products provide a comfortable income stream. 

     Of course there are a few complications. Caleb, the spoiled fifth son of a well off career politician, is not exactly a competent Christian farmer. His cows die off with alarming frequency. And what he does with the violates one of the ten commandments. The children often don't comply with the instructions for the taping of supposedly spontaneous moments. Oldest daughter, Clementine, is becoming resistant to being constantly filmed. Natalie doesn't feel like she really knows her sons and daughters. There is a lot that has to be hidden from the followers such as the use of modern conveniences, the large staff required to do the work of supposedly just the couple, and the chemicals used in the veggie growing. 

     And there are the legions of women Natalie calls the haters--the feminists who consider her a traitor. 

    One morning Natalie wakes up in a horrifying alternative reality. She's in a primitive run down shack minus electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing. Her kids are her children but not her children. Her oldest runs the household. Caleb is cruel and abusive. Now she's not cosplaying but trying to survive the hard knock rural past. In one particularly graphic episode she steps into a trap. Instead of being rushed to a hospital, she is sewn up by her preteen daughter. 

     Natalie is desperate to escape the nightmare she's trapped in. But how?

     Yesteryear is beautifully narrated in an alternating present and past format that helps readers really know the characters and situations. The suspense is kept up very well. You won't want to put the book down once you get into it. My only problem was with the very end. I found a jarring and confusing disconnect with the chapters leading up to it. I consider it, however, to be a most excellent read.

On a purrrsonal note, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was truly blessed. Saturday after our delicious Governors breakfast 😋 Eugene and I set off for camp. We took a meandering, scenic route, stopping at yard sales. We had a picnic lunch at a lake in Machias. The weather was purrrfect and there were hardly any mosquitoes. I got plenty of reading in. We drove back Sunday with a very fortunate stop at the Brewer Goodwill. Precious Tobago was very happy to have her family back.

A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful younger daughter, Katie. She's a lifelong lover of reading. We let each other know about the really good books we find. She shared an insight that really helped me write this review. I really appreciate that.

Jules Hathaway 

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