The Trad Wife Trend Was Already Creepy. Then Sarah Langan Took It Further
I went into “Trad Wife” already immersed in the current wave of trad wife fiction. After hearing Sarah Langan on the Talking Scared podcast, I knew I had to read this one, and it turned out to be far more unsettling than I expected.
The novel follows Jenny Kaplan, a journalist whose career has been knocked off course after a controversial article. She’s eager for a fresh start, so when she’s offered the chance to profile Mia Wright, a hugely successful trad wife influencer living on Black Swan Farm, she grabs it. Mia’s online persona is all wholesome domestic bliss, complete with a picture-perfect family and an idyllic farm setting. Once Jenny arrives, though, the cracks begin to show. Mia’s expressions feel strangely fixed, her children behave with unnerving precision, and the farm itself carries a sense of something old and quietly menacing beneath the surface.
What really struck me was the atmosphere. Langan builds dread with a slow, creeping intensity that made me put the book down more than once at night. The horror isn’t loud or dramatic. It’s the kind that settles under your skin and stays there. The book even nods to “The Yellow Wallpaper” (by pure coincidence, I first came across this book while reading “The Mad Wife” a few days before), which felt fitting given the way reality seems to warp around Jenny as she digs deeper into Mia’s world.
The themes are handled with surprising nuance. Rather than mocking or belittling the women drawn to the trad wife movement, Langan focuses on vulnerability, indoctrination, and the pressures that shape women’s choices. She avoids satire entirely, choosing instead to explore the systems that trap women in different ways. It gives the story emotional weight and makes the horror feel grounded in something recognisable.
Jenny herself is a compelling protagonist. She’s flawed, determined, and refuses to ignore her instincts even when they lead her into uncomfortable territory. Her agency is one of the book’s strengths, especially in a genre where characters often feel swept along by events.
This is a great fit for readers who enjoy psychological horror with a contemporary edge. If you’re interested in the rise of trad wife influencers or enjoy stories that blend social commentary with creeping unease, this will absolutely work for you.
“Trad Wife” is eerie, sharp, and deeply unsettling. I devoured it!
Seeing that I’ve read “Yesteryear” and this book, I must complete the trad wife trilogy by tackling Saratoga Schaefer’s “Trad Wife” soon!
Thank you to Pan McMillan South Africa for the opportunity to read this book.
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