Hi friends!
This week’s bonus episode is discussion of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We weren’t sure how we felt about it. There are no spoilers for the twist at the end of the book but we do talk about the characters in depth. Sam had much clearer thoughts, where Amanda struggled because she wanted to like this book so much.
What we get into:
The book itself. We both respected the writing but wrestled with whether the story fully landed. We go back and forth on whether Natalie’s character works as a portrait of someone real or tips into caricature.
Why unlikable women hit differently than unlikable men. We get honest about the fact that we read terrible male characters without blinking but a cold, ambitious, unapologetic woman made us both uncomfortable.
The religion of it all. Sam draws on her own experience growing up Mormon to unpack the veneer culture, the insecurity underneath the performance of perfection, and why Natalie’s moral superiority felt painfully familiar.
Deconstruction fatigue. Between Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the Warren Jeffs sequel doc, and now this novel, Sam gets real about what it’s like when your personal trauma becomes everyone’s content.
OUR NEXT BOOK CLUB: We will be reading Fame Sick by Lena Dunham. We will be meeting on June 24th at 7pm EST on zoom! Hope to see you there!
