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by Yael van der Wouden
An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.
A house is a precious thing...
It is 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is truly over. Living alone in her late mother's country home, Isabel knows her life is as it should be—led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis brings his graceless new girlfriend Eva, leaving her at Isabel's doorstep as a guest, to stay for the season.
Eva is Isabel's antithesis: she sleeps late, walks loudly through the house, and touches things she shouldn't. In response, Isabel develops a fury-fueled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house—a spoon, a knife, a bowl—Isabel's suspicions begin to spiral. In the sweltering peak of summer, Isabel's paranoia gives way to infatuation—leading to a discovery that unravels all Isabel has ever known. The war might not be well and truly over after all, and neither Eva—nor the house in which they live—are what they seem.
Mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and infused with intrigue, atmosphere, and sex, The Safekeep is a brilliantly plotted and provocative debut novel you won't soon forget.
What are you reading this week? (3/6/2025)
...ently reading: a house to call home, by Igal Sarna. How he is making his home in Portugal. Also reading: Orbital by Samantha Harvey And just finished the safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. Won the booker prize. The book is good but not that good. The beginning was slow very slow.
-Renee_B
"A brilliant debut, as multifaceted as a gem." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"An accomplished debut...Van der Wouden's sensuous writing and flair for drama make this a winner." —Publishers Weekly
"The Safekeep is a slow-burning, deceptively austere novel, whose subtle, crafty questions and lovely, lyric style will follow the reader long after its conclusion." —Shelf Awareness
"A masterclass in dramatic tension." —The Bookseller
"Moving, unnerving, and deeply sexy." —Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with the Pearl Earring
"An astonishingly skillful debut, The Safekeep manages the rare trick of being both gripping and intimate. A twisting, elegant, intriguing story about the secrets we hide in our homes and hearts—and how it only takes one person to unlock the past." —Joanna Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Whalebone Theatre
"Surprising, chilling, and electric. The Safekeep is simply a fantastic work of literature." —Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam
This information about The Safekeep was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Yael van der Wouden is a writer and a teacher. She lives in Utrecht, Netherlands, and The Safekeep is her first novel.
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