There are two Natalies-Natalie and Online Natalie.
Natalie was raised a Christian by a single mother whose husband is "gone." She and her sister lived in a small Idaho town where women wear long dresses and families consist of at least eight children. Unlike her fellow classmates, Natalie is an industrious, literate student who won a scholarship to Harvard. Her idea of college was classrooms where philosophy would be debated and the intellectual life would be lived. How wrong she was. Her roommate and her roommate's friends' idea of entertainment was to sit in her room and gossip, drink liquor, and make fun of Natalie's clothes. Her classes were also not what she expected. Even after securing a bedroom to herself, she was miserable and her only Christian classmate noticed. She invited Natalie to a prayer gathering off campus, and although she found the other participants "dumb as a box of rocks," she continued attending. At one meeting, she met Caleb, a handsome and humble young man. After a few dates they started talking marriage. What Natalie soon found out was that she had won the golden Wonka ticket-he was the rich youngest son of a Boston dynasty, and his father Doug was a much reelected senator. That he had no ambition or drive didn't bother Natalie-she could work with that. She convinced her father-in-law to buy them a 500 acre cattle ranch in the Idaho hills in exchange for giving Caleb a job-he would be a cowboy farmer to her pioneer woman, and they would make that ranch a success. The condition Doug demanded was that they have a large family.
Enter Online Natalie. As soon as she found out that Caleb was unable to hold down even this created job she took the reins. She started making videos of her idyllic but hard-working farm life and used them to sell things. On their Yesteryear Farm, she became the prairie influencer and sold goods allegedly made on the farm to her adoring fans, while at the same time having a good laugh at the naysayers or Angry Women, who trolled her page. She had lots of children but hired help to cope with them, as they also hired farm hands to do the actual farmwork. It was not until she hired Shannon, the producer, that her perfect image was challenged.
One morning she woke to the sound of children's laughter. She noticed that her blanket was not her luxurious soft duvet, but was a ragged quilt. She was dressed in an old filthy nightshirt. Her bedroom was dark and there were no overhead lights. As she headed down the dark hallway to the kitchen, she realized that this was and was not her house. Their non-functional fireplace was blazing, shedding the only light and warmth in the house. When they bought their ranch, they completely remodeled it to project an old farmhouse, but the modern conveniences were hidden in closets and cabinets. This house had no conveniences-her four children were not her children, and when she went outside, she found signs on the door marking the children's growth with dates, all in the 1800's. What the hell happened?
Many books claim to be unique but this one is the real deal. This is Burke's first novel and is a stunning debut. Obviously inspired by the life and merchandising of the real influencer, Pioneer Woman, Burke paints a "what if" scenario that will challenge the reader's sanity in every way. Is this a dream scenario? Is it a time travel novel? Or could it be the wrath of an angry God? Pass the butter churn, curl up with some biscuits, and become immersed in the novel of the year.
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