★★★★★ 5
Excellent satire of tradition cult
Format: Kindle
I read this book in two days. I was eager to read it once I read the description in a Facebook post. I am a theologically conservative Christian frustrated with the tradition culture that has co-opted the faith. I see this in my social and social media circles quite a bit, and I was intrigued by a novel that took this movement to task.
Furthermore, I truly enjoy well done satire and farce. I have had a hard time finding these works written well in the past, so I was bracing myself to be disappointed. I am thankful to say, I wasn’t. I didn’t expect the novel to go the way it did (and no, I won’t post spoilers), but I literally laughed out loud a several points.
Let me compliment the author for one particular point: She doesn’t just blast the “tradwife” movement. Plenty of cultural movements and groups of people have their sins exploited. Rather than shooting a 12-gauge at religious conservatives, she takes a Tommy gun and hits a wide range of systems.
I do want to warn squeamish readers about another issue: The novel can be quite graphic at times, explicitly detailing the intimacy struggles with the main couple. It borders on the pornographic side, but not for titillation. It’s meant to show the dysfunction in the supposedly happy couple.
There were quite a few humorous moments, such as the protagonist enjoying the sounds of the chickens, only to grow wistful about their impending deaths so she can taste chicken broth. Or the protagonist’s evangelical mother reacting to her son-in-law’s purchase of a yoga mat.
I was a little disappointed in the resolution of the central issue, i.e., the time travel. But overall, the novel was an enjoyable read and worth your time.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2026
