SPOILER WARNING: ending discussed
A Fun Thing to Talk About at Book Club
Fairy tales are part of our collective imagination, and Caro Claire Burke draws on the power of fairy tales in at least two ways when she decided to include over 30 fairytale details in her novel Yesteryear.
On the surface, the fairytale stuff is a nod to what goes on every day on social media. The make-believe of life: where content creators like Natalie spin far-fetched, magical tales that tap into our imagination, wonder, and ire.
But let’s think about Burke’s fairytale language on another level, specifically with how readers begin their experience with Yesteryear with its great premise. A modern-day woman finds herself transported back in time, but how? It’s a premise that promises the possibility of a little magic. As it turns out and takes hundreds of pages to figure out, the how of Natalie’s time travel doesn’t matter. Because’s Natalie’s descent into 1855 wasn’t real. She had a breakdown. The premise was a trick, and it’s the sense of getting duped that becomes one of the (many) reasons the twist at the end hits so hard and so controversially.
But what if? What if (to borrow from a well-known tale) you look at the trail of fairytale details Caro Claire Burke dropped throughout the story as Hansel’s and Gretel’s breadcrumbs? Does that change anything for you? Does it help to picture that on some level Caro Claire Burke was trying to help you find your way back to where you started?
Ultimately, it’s up to each reader to decide if Burke’s breadcrumbs (or any literary device) are enough or if they fall short. Are the breadcrumbs a decent navigation tool or something that ultimately gets gobbled up by birds?
A reframed reading experience…
In closing, here’s my take. I think the fairytale details are an interesting lens for the story, one that personally helped me reframe my reading experience much more positively. Picturing Yesteryear in the tradition of Grimms’ fairytales, for example, allowed me think about how often children in those tales escape in the end. Like Hansel and Gretel who eventually outsmart the witch in the woods, the kids in Yesteryear break free, but are not unscathed physically or emotionally.
One of Grimms’ fairy tales is directly alluded to in Yesteryear: Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. What an apt choice. I liked thinking about the parallels this one offers. Snow White, like Natalie, is hiding from an Angry Woman by living off the grid in the woods. I also see Natalie’s relationship with Reena eerily in parallel with the Queen’s obsession with Snow White.
Perhaps the most helpful fairytale reference was the one made to the American fairy tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum at the end of Chapter 8. This one helped me picture Caro Claire Burke in the role of a trickster or an illusionist like The Wizard. In this scenario, I feel like Toto unexpectedly bumping into the screen. At the same time, I am also everyone else in The Emerald City as the screen tumbles down. I was unprepared and pissed to see the truth of Yesteryear. So, Yesteryear didn’t give me the time-travel story I hoped for, but in its little details – like the fairy tale elements – it is successfully giving me something else. I’m not sure what yet, but I’m having a time figuring it out and talking it out with other readers.
Want the complete list of fairytale details in Yesteryear? I have two Yesteryear companion products on Etsy with the details you need.
First, I have this quick reference guide that is 4.5″ x 5.5,” printed on glossy premium paper, and is ready to ship.
There’s printable index (in the style of a bookmark!) at the end of my digital annotating guide.
Annotate With Sara 