A new book is storming social networks. With her debut “Yesteryear,” the American author Claire Caro Burke reaches hundreds of thousands of people. The hype has clear reasons.
May 3, 2026, 7:10 amMay 3, 2026, 7:10 am
Pascal Moser / ch media
It is the last day of a life that she has always imagined: The American author Claire Caro Burke anticipates the trip to hell that awaits her protagonist in her debut novel “Yesteryear”. You are still shocked. Because as humorous and absurd as the story about Natalie is, she does not remain just a fictional character. She represents an entire subculture in which feminism is at its end.
Influencer Hannah Neeleman with her family on their farm in Utah.Image: Instagram
But first, let’s talk about the vocabulary of this novel: Natalie is an influencer, meaning she earns her money with online posts on social networks. And she is a tradwife – a “traditional wife” and lives on a farm. Instead of modern self-determination, she opts for a life between household chores, homemade sourdough bread and early motherhood. “How traditional is it exactly?” one might ask. The answer is: America, 1855.
This year, Natalie wakes up one day. Without a smartphone, without luxury and without a media team to help her with the contributions – the “traditional values” that she previously preached prevail. The woman is there to make the man happy. Suddenly this is no longer an aesthetic decision, but a reality. And she doesn’t like it at all.
Film adaptation with Anne Hathaway has been confirmed
The debut was announced in American media as one of the “Books of the Year”. And even before its release, film producers are looking for a leading actress to bring “Yesteryear” to the cinema.
The choice fell on superstar Anne Hathaway, which not only says a lot about the success of the book, but also the spread of its topic. Tradwives are on everyone’s lips. They trend on Tiktok, start their own companies and have now found their way into literature.
What makes the debate so hot: You don’t have to look far to find the image of women that is conveyed. A look at old advertisements is enough. For example, there is the Dr. Oetker spot that has been viewed millions of times. The video from the fifties now serves as the background sound for some Tradwives. “A man wants to be won anew every day!” it says and: “A woman has two life questions. What should I wear and what should I cook?”
Regressive and reactionary trend
In the USA, Tradwives reach an audience of millions. Figures like the influencer XMalischka appear here. Almost 30,000 people follow her on Instagram. She emphasizes that every woman is free to choose whether she prefers a career or being a housewife. Meanwhile, her own everyday life begins with “making herself beautiful for the man”.
The reactions to this range from admiration to ridicule or criticism. For most women, such a lifestyle would not end in a social media career, but in poverty in old age, criticizes psychologist and media researcher Ines Imdahl. At the same time, reports show the connection of such images to reactionary ideologies. Cultural scientists are also drawing attention to this potential danger.
It is precisely in this situation that “Yesteryear” comes into play. Natalie’s environment is conservative-Christian, the fear of the extinction of the white race is omnipresent and her father-in-law, as the perfect patriarch, resembles cowboy icon John Wayne.
The American author Claire Caro Burke deals with the phenomenon of “tradwife” in her debut novel. The book is an entertaining thriller with a lot of humor and provides deep insights into the inner life of the Christian influencer.Image: Riley Haakon
When Natalie, disgusted by alcohol and sexual excesses, turns away from her surroundings at Harvard, she meets the rich son of a politician. He is a savior, husband and financial provider. She has children with him, buys a ranch, becomes famous and happy. Which also reminds Natalie of a real role model.
Criticism of the “angry women”
Hannah Neeleman, better known as “Ballerina Farm”, reaches an audience of millions on social media with aesthetically staged insights into her country life. The former ballet dancer lives with her husband and children on a farm in the US state of Utah, where she conveys an idealized image of self-sufficiency, motherhood and traditional role distribution.
She bakes bread like Natalie, keeps farm animals and looks after her extended family. In romantic, nostalgic imagery. And just like Natalie, she is also criticized for it. The images she conveys are unrealistic, heavily curated and sexist. In this way they counteract the achievements of feminist efforts. Such voices are also loud in the novel, but Natalie dismisses this as the jealousy of “angry women”.
The book itself is going viral
It is difficult to estimate whether the Tradwives’ media coverage is due to their popularity. But it doesn’t seem likely. The German Federal Institute for Population Research conducted a survey that showed that fewer than one in five women between the ages of 20 and 30 exhibit tendencies similar to those presented by Tradwives.
It is much more likely that the critical voices also contributed to the media attention. Tradwives are invited to talk shows and featured in television reports. So it’s not just about hype, but rather a larger, critically conducted debate. “Yesteryear” benefits from this. She is also currently going viral on Instagram with her book.
Claire Caro Burke. Yesteryear. 2026. Heyne. 464 pages. (aargauerzeitung.ch)