Local Author Explores Trad Wife Trend in New Horror Novel

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Is social media more terrifying than a monster?

In “Trad Wife,” the latest horror novel from author Saratoga Schaefer, that question lurks beneath the story’s surface. 

Camille, the novel’s main character, incessantly seeks validation from social media as she tries to manifest the “perfect” homemaker lifestyle. But when she struggles to get pregnant, she calls upon sinister forces for aid.

“I think one of the fun things about this book is that there’s the obvious horror,” Schaefer told Saratoga TODAY, “But the real horror is the social horror that comes through the relationship and the power imbalance [Camille] has with her husband, and then also the obsession she has with social media and needing to present a certain way online and needing people to like her. That, I think, is more frightening than the overt horror.”

A traditional wife or “trad” wife is a recent phenomenon that has seen young women reject much of the modern world to revert back to a simpler and, they contend, happier existence. Instead of spending all day in an office hunched over a keyboard, they spend the day cooking, taking care of kids, and maintaining an impeccably designed home—all for the benefit of their social media followers.

A number of studies have been conducted in an effort to better understand this trend. According to researchers at King’s College London, “the glamorization of domesticated roles for women is less a genuine embrace of tradition and more a plea from younger generations, reflecting what they describe as the impossible balance demanded by modern work and family life.” Two researchers at the University of Pennsylvania posit that mainstream feminists and trad wives are both “responding to the same broken system, but in very different ways. While each is rooted in women’s rage, the direction and consequences of that rage diverge sharply.”

Schaefer’s portrayal of Camille is complex. In some ways, Camille is sympathetic. In other ways, she’s profoundly unlikeable. But for much of the story, she seems to be under the spell of social media, which results in Camille doing things she knows are wrong.

“She is actively deluding herself for a good portion of the book,” Schaefer said. “I really wanted to get into the mindset of somebody who is a younger person who is attracted to this lifestyle.”

Camille chooses to discard facts and critical thinking in favor of agreeing with social media personalities who can bestow upon her more followers and fame. Camille’s obsession with portraying herself as the perfect influencer leads to horrendous consequences, some real and others supernatural. Trapped in a “Rosemary’s Baby” scenario in which she is pregnant with a creature that is less than human, Camille continues to post through the pain, pretending that her life is perfect when, in fact, it’s spiraling towards disaster.

To reveal more of the plot would spoil the fun. Though “Trad Wife” explores real issues, it’s also a spooky story with elements reminiscent of “Midsommar,” “The Witch,” and, of course, “Rosemary’s Baby.”

Schaefer’s new novel will be released on Feb. 10. Two days later, they’ll be in person at the Northshire Bookstore for a conversation with fellow author Dennis Mahoney. It’ll be an event in Saratoga featuring a person named Saratoga. Yes, it’s a bit unusual, and yes, Schaefer was named after the Spa City.

“I love my name,” Schaefer said. “I understand that people do a little bit of a double take when I say it.”

They’ll be doing a double take when they read the shocking yet thoughtful “Trad Wife” too.