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Yesteryear

Caro Claire Burke

Psychological Thriller · Thriller · 2026

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About this book

Character · main

Caleb

appearance

  • Caleb has reddish cheeks and a broad, toothy smile, traits Natalie also sees in their sons.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, breakfast comparison with the boys · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

personality

  • Unskilled and unambitious on the farm, Caleb becomes radicalized by online men's rights and conspiracy theories.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

relationship

  • Caleb conducts an extramarital affair with social media producer Shannon, sparking public scandal.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

role

  • Caleb is Natalie’s spouse; his Republican family has held prominent political positions.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Clementine

appearance

  • Like Natalie, Clementine has a narrow, freckled face and dark hair; the children keep their hair long.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, breakfast family appearance comparison · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

relationship

  • As an adult, Clementine returns to the ranch with a legal warrant to rescue her neglected younger siblings.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · 1855 life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

role

  • Clementine is the eldest child of Natalie and Caleb Mills.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Maeve

relationship

  • When Maeve becomes ill near winter, Natalie uses a supposed search for medicine as her reason to leave.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · 1855 life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

role

  • Maeve is the youngest child living on the isolated Idaho ranch.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · 1855 life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Mary

personality

  • Mary shoulders household duties and eventually writes about her experiences in a memoir.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

role

  • Mary is the eldest daughter living on the isolated ranch in the mid-19th century simulation.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · protagonist

Natalie Heller Mills

age

  • Natalie is thirty-two and six months pregnant with her sixth child.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, morning prayer · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • Natalie married Caleb when she was twenty.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

appearance

  • Natalie has a narrow, freckled face and very dark hair.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, breakfast comparison with her daughters · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • Natalie suffers a severe foot injury caused by a snare trap during an escape attempt on the isolated ranch.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · 1855 life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

personality

  • Natalie is dogmatic and controlling, projecting a devout agrarian persona while tightly gripping finances.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

relationship

  • Natalie married Caleb Mills after meeting in college, moving to an Idaho ranch where she manages household finances and homestead life.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
  • Natalie hires Shannon as content producer, but physically assaults her upon discovering her affair with Caleb.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

role

  • Natalie is a tradwife social media influencer on Yesteryear Ranch and the novel's unreliable narrator.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Reena

relationship

  • Five years later, Reena visits Natalie for an interview in prison.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · 5 years later section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

role

  • Reena works in journalism after having shared a Harvard room with Natalie.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Shannon

role

  • Shannon prepares the household’s filming equipment in the kitchen.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, video equipment in the kitchen · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • Shannon works as the social media producer managing online output for Natalie Heller Mills.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

age

  • Shannon is a twenty-one-year-old woman.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Characters section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

relationship

  • Shannon is physically attacked by Natalie after having an affair with Caleb, subsequently going to the press.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Place · recurring

Harvard University

atmosphere

  • A collegiate environment where religious Natalie experienced cultural friction with secular peers.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Modern life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Place · primary

The Idaho farm

geography

  • The family farm lies between mountain ranges in Idaho, five miles along a winding gravel road.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, January morning before sunrise · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Place · primary

Yesteryear Ranch

geography

  • Yesteryear Ranch is an isolated rural property located in Idaho.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Synopsis section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

look

  • The house is arranged to imitate nineteenth-century domestic life and has no modern appliances.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · 1855 life section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail

Details

  • On a dark January morning, Natalie’s household prepares breakfast and filming on an isolated Idaho farm.Yesteryear official opening excerpt · Excerpt, opening bedroom and breakfast scenes · Penguin Random House / Knopf · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • The novel centers on Yesteryear Ranch in Idaho, exploring the boundary between online tradwife branding and cult-like retreat.Yesteryear (novel) - Wikipedia · Synopsis section · Wikimedia Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0Sign in to report this detail
Verified context available · 1 chapters with coverageResearch status →Contribute context →

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