Yesteryear
Published on 9. April 2026
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-0-00-874276-8 (ISBN)
Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER
'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK' - BELLA MACKIE
'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT' - STYLIST
'MADDENING, MESMERISING, INGENIOUS' - NEW YORK TIMES
'INTELLIGENT, INCISIVE, INSANELY READABLE' - JENNIE GODFREY
'DERANGED, DARING, CLEVERLY WRITTEN' - VOGUE
'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive...'
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle - and her followers are sick with envy. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What her followers don't know won't hurt them.
Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children-they're all familiar, but something's off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.
As darkly funny as it is shocking and gripping, Yesteryear is an electrifying examination of tradition, fame, faith and the grand performance of womanhood, from a thrilling new talent in fiction.
NOW BEING ADAPTED INTO A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANNE HATHAWAY
'WICKEDLY FUNNY, FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE' ABIGAIL DEAN
'INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE' ASHLEY AUDRAIN
'SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR, LACED WITH DARKNESS' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'THE STEPFORD WIVES MEETS THE HANDMAID'S TALE' HANNAH DEITCH
'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK' - BELLA MACKIE
'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT' - STYLIST
'MADDENING, MESMERISING, INGENIOUS' - NEW YORK TIMES
'INTELLIGENT, INCISIVE, INSANELY READABLE' - JENNIE GODFREY
'DERANGED, DARING, CLEVERLY WRITTEN' - VOGUE
'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive...'
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle - and her followers are sick with envy. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What her followers don't know won't hurt them.
Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children-they're all familiar, but something's off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.
As darkly funny as it is shocking and gripping, Yesteryear is an electrifying examination of tradition, fame, faith and the grand performance of womanhood, from a thrilling new talent in fiction.
NOW BEING ADAPTED INTO A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANNE HATHAWAY
'WICKEDLY FUNNY, FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE' ABIGAIL DEAN
'INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE' ASHLEY AUDRAIN
'SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR, LACED WITH DARKNESS' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'THE STEPFORD WIVES MEETS THE HANDMAID'S TALE' HANNAH DEITCH
Reviews / Votes
'Everyone will be talking about this book' Bella Mackie 'Daring, deranged, cleverly written' Vogue 'Maddening and mesmerizing. The premise is an ingenious, exquisite, be-careful-what-you-wish-for. Draws to a dizzying conclusion, I didn't see the twist coming' New York Times 'Tense, intriguing, funny and conversation-starting' Sunday Times Culture 'Intelligent, incisive and insanely readable' Jennie Godfrey 'Perceptive, timely, exquisitely written. An outstanding and utterly unique take on how we live today' Joanna Cannon 'An absolutely unhinged novel' Roxane Gay 'Witty and thought-provoking, this is the book that will be everywhere' Independent 'A piece of howling feminist rage. Nightmarish, shocking, brilliant' Stylist 'A bold and biting satire, will have you gasping right to the final page' Nita Prose 'Highly original and utterly addictive' Louise O'Neill 'Unapologetically political fiction in the tradition of The Stepford Wives or The Handmaid's Tale. Enraging, thrilling - grimly funny but intensely humane' Hannah Deitch 'Wickedly funny, beautifully written, and frighteningly perceptive.' Abigail Dean 'Inventive, addictive and funny. A dark, biting social commentary and a wild, thought-provoking ride' Ashley Audrain 'Shot through with humour and laced with darkness' Clare Mackintosh 'Insanely good, fresh, sharp and spiky. It reminded me of Gone Girl, with its unreliable, intensely unlikeable narrator, amazing twist and needlepoint observations' Stacey Halls 'Deliciously topical, with a chef's kiss of a twist' Pandora Sykes 'Original, biting, propulsive and unhinged' Red 'Funny, terrifying and original' Woman & Home 'Crazy and completely addictive' Prima 'Mind-bending, propulsive, thought-provoking' Good Housekeeping 'A dark comedy and a delicious satire that will keep you guessing' Heat 'Unpredictable, original and beautifully written. I couldn't guess the genius ending' Adele Parks 'An intoxicating fever dream through the lens of a thrillingly complex protagonist.' Hannah BeerMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
610 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-874276-8 (9780008742768)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Caro Claire Burke received her Master's in Fine Arts from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She is the co-host of Diabolical Lies, a politics and culture podcast. Yesteryear is her first novel.