Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear is a darkly funny and thought-provoking novel about social media, motherhood, marriage, and the carefully curated lives people present to the world.

Natalie Heller Mills has built a huge online following as a “tradwife” influencer, presenting herself as the picture of traditional domestic perfection. Her followers see a beautiful Idaho ranch, a devoted husband, a growing family, homemade food, and an idyllic old-fashioned lifestyle. Behind the scenes, however, Natalie’s life is far less perfect than her social-media posts suggest. Her seemingly effortless existence requires plenty of money, help, and careful staging.

Then everything changes when Natalie suddenly finds herself apparently transported back to 1855. The lifestyle she has spent years romanticizing is no longer something she can photograph and post online, it is her reality. Without modern conveniences or the people who make her carefully constructed lifestyle possible, Natalie is forced to confront just how different the past is from the fantasy she has been selling. As the mystery surrounding her situation unfolds, Yesteryear explores authenticity, motherhood, marriage, social-media culture, and the pressure to live up to an idealized version of womanhood.

Listening to Yesteryear rather than simply reading it adds another layer to this already unusual story. The audiobook works particularly well because so much of the novel depends on Natalie’s personality and point of view. Her observations, sarcasm, frustrations, and often questionable choices make her a character who is especially entertaining to experience through narration. The contrast between Natalie’s polished online persona and the reality of her life is one of the book’s biggest strengths, and the audiobook brings that contrast to life. Her voice and attitude make the satire easier to appreciate, particularly in the moments when she finds herself confronted with the realities of the historical lifestyle she has spent so much time romanticizing.

The pacing also lends itself well to audio. The mystery surrounding Natalie’s sudden change in circumstances gives the story enough momentum to keep the listener interested, while the humor and social commentary provide plenty of variety. There is a nice balance between the more serious observations about motherhood and identity and the absurdity of Natalie’s predicament.

I really enjoyed the way Burke uses Natalie to examine the difference between performing a lifestyle and actually living it. In the age of social media, it is easy to see carefully selected photographs and videos and assume they represent someone’s entire reality. Natalie has made that illusion her career, and being stripped of the ability to control her surroundings forces her to confront the consequences.

The audiobook also makes Natalie’s flaws more apparent. She isn’t always an easy character to sympathize with, and some of her choices can be frustrating. However, that complexity makes her more interesting. She isn’t simply a caricature of an influencer; she is a woman who has become deeply invested in the identity she created for herself.

The historical portions provide some of the most interesting contrasts in the story. Natalie has idealized the past from the comfort of modern life, but actually experiencing it reveals how difficult and restrictive that world could be. That juxtaposition gives the novel much of its humor while also providing its social commentary.

Yesteryear is an entertaining audiobook with an unusual premise, a memorable protagonist, and plenty to think about after the listening ends. It combines satire, mystery, humor, and commentary on modern social-media culture into a story that is both entertaining and surprisingly uncomfortable at times. If you enjoy character-driven stories, social satire, unreliable or complicated protagonists, and books that take a familiar cultural trend and turn it completely upside down, Yesteryear makes for an engaging listening experience. The audiobook particularly benefits from the strong personality of its protagonist and the contrast between the polished life she presents and the messy reality underneath.