Trad Wife: A Novel by Saratoga Schaefer * * * *

I read Trad Wife: A Novel by Saratoga Schaefer as the third book in my Trad Wife Reading Project, and this was easily the darkest one so far. The book has been marketed as a modern Rosemary's Baby, and that comparison is very accurate. Instead of focusing on a woman forced into a horrific pregnancy against her will, this story follows a woman who desperately wants a baby, even if she has to make a deal with something she doesn't fully understand to get one. 

The main character, Camille Deming, has built her entire identity around becoming the perfect trad wife influencer. She lives in a large country farmhouse with her husband, Graham, spends her days cooking, cleaning, homesteading, and carefully curating her online image. The only thing missing is a baby. In Camille's mind, motherhood isn't just something she wants personally. It's the final step towards becoming the successful influencer she dreams of being. When she discovers an old wishing well on her property and asks for a child, strange dreams and increasingly unsettling events begin to follow.

What I found most interesting wasn't the horror itself. It was Camille. She's a woman whose self worth has always depended on someone else's approval. As a child, she practically became a caretaker for her father after her mother died. She wanted to study science, but her father discouraged her until she abandoned that dream. She then married Graham, a deeply traditional Catholic man who constantly undermines her confidence, discourages her independence, and is clearly unfaithful. Every important man in her life has taught her that she isn't enough on her own. Because of that, she keeps searching for validation somewhere else, first from her father, then her husband, and finally from strangers on the internet.

The horror elements really take over after Camille has the baby. This is where the body horror begins, and as someone who doesn't usually read horror, I have to admit there were several scenes I skipped because they became a little too graphic for me. The book doesn't rely only on gore, though. The psychological horror of watching Camille convince herself that increasingly disturbing things are completely normal was often even more unsettling than the violent scenes.

The ending didn't completely surprise me. I could see where the story was heading once the baby arrived. Even so, I found it deeply satisfying because the real conclusion isn't about defeating a monster. It's about Camille finally letting go of the life she believed would make her happy. She stops chasing internet fame, stops measuring herself against other influencers, and finally finds acceptance and unconditional support in the last place she ever expected. It's a strange ending, but emotionally it felt earned.

I ended up giving Trad Wife four stars. It's weird, disturbing, and occasionally difficult to read, especially if you're sensitive to body horror. But beneath all of that is a surprisingly thoughtful story about emotional abuse, social media validation, and the danger of building your identity around other people's expectations. The monsters may be supernatural, but the loneliness that creates them feels completely real.