Actor Anne Hathaway has acquired the movie rights to Caro Claire Burke's upcoming debut novel Yesteryear in an 11-way bidding war. The book, set for release on April 9, 2026, by Fourth Estate, explores themes of social media influencers, trad wives, and time travel to 1805.
Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear is positioned as Fourth Estate's lead debut for 2026 and is expected to dominate conversations in book clubs and online forums. The novel follows Natalie, a 'trad wife' influencer who portrays an idyllic life on Instagram, complete with sourdough baking, a cowboy husband, and homeschooling six children. Behind the scenes, her reality involves nannies, social media assistants, and personal struggles with feminism and family dynamics. One day, she awakens transported to 1805, living the 'simple' settler life she curated online.
The story addresses cultural topics like influencers, conservative religion, and curated social media realities, blending wit and thought-provoking elements. Its timely themes have generated significant buzz, leading to the fierce bidding war for adaptation rights, won by Anne Hathaway.
Yesteryear joins a strong lineup of 2026 releases, including Douglas Stuart's John of John in May, Maggie O’Farrell's Land in June, Meg Mason's Sophie, Standing There in August, and Patrick Radden Keefe's London Calling in April. Debuts like Jennette McCurdy's Half His Age, Eden McKenzie-Goddard's Smallie on the Windrush scandal, and Lori Iglis Hall's The Shock of The Light, praised by William Boyd and Florence Knapp, also feature prominently.
Burke's novel, priced at £14.19 on Amazon.co.uk, is anticipated to be the book of the summer, tapping into ongoing discussions about online personas and historical gender roles.
