Yesteryear: Spicy

I’m almost halfway through and gotta say it’s really worth it. Literally cannot put it down. Maybe I’ll pull through the night just to get to the ending, like when I first read Gone Girl.

At first, I was not impressed.

The story starts with the protagonist, Natalie, a trad wife influencer. Her attitude is so condescending, arrogant, and rude. And because the author stuffed sooooo much into her thoughts, it’s like a high school teenage drama heroine talking in a grown woman’s body. So many times the protagonist talked to herself, looking down upon others, imagining people jealous of her. There was a passage where the protagonist described her producer’s nightmare. It felt so out of place and I almost quit it.

Glad I didn’t.

I kept reading, then realized the author didn’t create the character to be likable. Her shallowness, naivety, and the anxiety are what the author wants to convey: an influencer’s life, which is built on beautiful self-image after layers of cover-ups, is vulnerable.

In one of her interviews, when asked if she believes children should be included in her videos, this is what the author wrote about the heroine’s reaction: “smile, gummies showing.” (Actually reminds me of I’m Glad My Mom Died.)

Natalie is not a person, rather than a symbol of a product in modern society.

Then Natalie starts recalling how she grew up and finding herself in university before she woke up and found herself in 1855. She’s a fruit of a seed, nurtured by somewhat certain environment. As more of Natalie’s inner world is exposed, more female characters are introduced.

So far, we have:

Natalie’s ex-producer, who seemed to have an affair with her husband Caleb

Natalie’s oldest daughter, who doesn’t agree with her mom’s choice of being a trad wife

In 1855, Natalie’s oldest daughter Mary, who seemed to run the house and regard Natalie as inferior

Natalie’s mother, whose husband ran off but believes men are like babies and women should tend to them

Natalie’s roommate in university, who parties and spreads rumors about men. Natalie believes the roommate would live a miserable life: get a six-figure job, then smaller salary bumps compared to male colleagues, marry late, have kids late

Angry women: women who believe trad wife is a step back in women’s progression of status

Her sister, who married a drunk but is still carrying out her mother’s faith in men

I won’t spoil what happened exactly between them, but man, it’s like every other page there is a conflict between two female characters over their ideology on what should a woman do and how should a woman live. There are many times that I had to stop and highlight those passages.

It’s so so so relatable. The author clearly knows the struggles women face in modern society and why trad wife caused such controversy.
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Ok I meant the book is fierce, not spicy
Also there is a huge part of religion playing in a role in the book but since I’m not an expert on that I didn’t want to touch it