Trad Wife - by Saratoga Schaefer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

A "traditional wife" influencer allows a demonic creature to impregnate her in this unnerving horror novel, perfect for fans of Nightbitch and Mary, from the author of Serial Killer Support Group.

Every #tradwife needs a baby. She'll get one at any cost.

When Camille Deming isn't cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she's posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille's missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband, Graham, have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.

When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterward, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she's visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true.

Camille's pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she's ever posted--so what if Graham's reaction is lukewarm? Camille's life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she's suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.

Rosemary's Baby for the digital age, this disturbing horror novel is one you'll want to devour in just one bite.

Review Quotes

Praise for Trad Wife:

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

"Trad Wife is disturbing, surreal, and darkly funny, horror with an incisive cultural bite."
--Booklist, starred audiobook review

"An intense, gory, and brutally honest tale . . . Schaefer writes a nuanced and visceral deep dive into horror's trad wife and influencer categories, in the sinister vein of Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton and Youthjuice by E. K. Sathue, infused with the disquieting, grotesque beauty of The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus."
--Library Journal

"A gleefully gruesome take on the life of an influencer . . . strikes a good balance of gore and tenderness."
--Publishers Weekly

"Saratoga Schaefer's Trad Wife is one of those novels that truly sticks with you. It blends real horrors with the supernatural in a way that's timely and deeply unsettling."
--Capes & Tights

"Forget flipping through Baby 411, readers are going to need Baby 911 after meeting the newborn at the sweet, succulent heart of Saratoga Schaefer's surprisingly tender -- and stunningly stomach-turning -- new novel Trad Wife. A Rosemary's Baby for our modern social media mindset, no IG filter can rinse the blood-soaked body horror off your subconscious once you're done devouring this beaut of a book."
--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

"Saratoga Schaefer's Trad Wife is a gory thrill ride! Imagine Rosemary's Baby, but she's doing it for the 'gram."
--Chelsea Conradt, USA Today Bestselling Author of The Farmhouse

"In the tradition of Bret Easton Ellis, Trad Wife takes the domestic dream and rips it wide open, serving up a blood-soaked satire as smart and tender as it is stomach-churning. Deliciously gruesome and surprisingly tender, it's a razor-edged meditation on losing one's self."
--Dawn Kurtagich, Amazon bestselling author of The Thorns and The Madness

"Trad Wife is the body horror of your dreams (and nightmares). Relentless, feverish, and deliciously dark, Trad Wife plunges a knife into the dark, writhing heart of motherhood. Schaefer excels at writing morally gray protagonists."
--Charlene Wang, author of Mindy's Book Studio pick I'll Follow You

"Trad Wife is a masterpiece that cements Schaefer as the new authority when it comes to horror."
--Maria Tureaud, author of This House Will Feed

"Smart, stylish, and savage, Trad Wife is an insidious drop down a well you'll never climb out of."
--Neena Viel, author of Listen to Your Sister

"Trad Wife will satisfy every craving you have for raw, visceral horror hidden behind a picture-perfect facade. Timely, terrifying, and touched with humor, this book will chew you up and spit you out and you'll love every second of it."
--C.J. Dotson, author of The Cut

About the Author

Saratoga Schaefer (they/them) is the USA Today Bestselling author of Serial Killer Support Group, Trad Wife, The Last Time We Drowned, and A Thousand Monstrous Forms. Their cunningly dark debut Serial Killer Support Group was a "Best Pick of the Month" by Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Saratoga's second novel Trad Wife was an instant USA Today Bestseller and Indie Press Bestseller, a Library Reads and Aardvark Book Club pick for February 2026, as well as a best horror of the month by Variety and Reactor. Trad Wife was also featured in Book Riot, The Seattle Times, Goodreads, and Publisher's Weekly. Saratoga's books have been in People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. They have published poetry and essays in online publications, and their writing has appeared in Writer's Digest, CrimeReads, and more. They have a certificate in editing from the Poynter Institute (in partnership with ACES) and has a background in marketing, PR, film, and wellness. Originally from Brooklyn, Saratoga now lives upstate with several needy animals and a haunted clown table.