''The Safekeep'' is the 2024 debut novel from Dutch author
Yael van der Wouden. The novel, set in 1961
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, tells the story of Isabel (Isa), a recluse who is living alone and meticulously tending to the family home in
Overijssel
Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...
province. She receives an unexpected guest when her brother Louis asks that his girlfriend Eva move into the home to stay with Isabel for the summer. Isa is initially repulsed by Eva, and feels that her personal space has been encroached upon. However, as they spend more time together, an unlikely romantic relationship develops between the two women.
The novel won the
Women's Prize for Fiction
The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
and was shortlisted for the
2024 Booker Prize.
Narrative
Isabel (Isa) is living in her family's home in 1961 Netherlands, in the Overijssel province. She lives alone but has assistance from her maid Neelke. The home was acquired by her uncle Karel during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and Isabel's family (including her mother, and two brothers; Hendrick and Louis) moved in during the war. Her brothers moved out of the home, Hendrick living in Den Haag with his boyfriend Sebastian and Louis with various girlfriends that come and go. Isa is lonely and stricken with guilt after the death of her mother. She wanders the home meticulously and obsessively dusting and cleaning and berating the maid Neelke for presumably stealing small items from the home.
The three siblings meet in Amsterdam and Isa meets Louis' new girlfriend Eva who she is suspicious and unfriendly towards. Isa does not feel comfortable around the more sociable and charming woman. Later, Louis asks Isa to take Eva in for a few months as he travels. Uncle Karel had willed the home to Louis with the plan to move into the home once he is married. Isa is only a custodian of the house, a caretaker, she reluctantly agrees. Initially Isa is perturbed by Eva as she moves freely around the house, moving objects, touching things, and asking probing questions about the family's previous life in the house. Isa feels that her space has been encroached upon. Louis sets up Eva in Isa's mother's old room, and Eva places a picture of her own mother in the picture frame.
One day Hendrick and his boyfriend come to visit and a spontaneous moment of bliss occurs as the two men and Eva start dancing. Eva asks Isa to join in and all four join in dance. Isa begins to develop romantic feelings for Eva and the two begin a relationship.
It is later revealed that Isa's family was able to obtain the house during World War II when the former Jewish occupants were forcibly abducted from their home during
the Holocaust in the Netherlands
The Holocaust saw the mass murder of Dutch Jews by Nazi Germany in German-occupied Netherlands, occupied Netherlands during the Second World War. The Nazi occupation in 1940 immediately began disrupting the norms of Dutch society, separating Dut ...
.
Reception
According to
Book Marks
''Literary Hub'' or ''LitHub'' is a daily literary website that was launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and '' Electric Literatur ...
, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on six critics: three "rave" and three "positive". In the January–February 2025 issue of ''
Bookmarks'', the book was rated four out of five. The magazine's critical summary reads: "But if the romance storyline prevented some reviewers from “having a proper reckoning with the past” (''Telegraph''), the work is nonetheless a “razor-sharp, perfectly plotted debut novel,
herehistory always comes back to nick you” (''Sunday Times'')".
Writing for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Lori Soderlind stated that the character Isa was portrayed with great detail, especially how van der Wouden narrated her transition from an anxious, isolated, recluse to a more loving partner who experiences a sexual and emotional re-awakening.
Reviewing the novel for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'',
Rachel Seiffert stated that the sex scenes, indeed an entire chapter devoted to a sexual interaction, were overly long and did little to move the plot along. However Seiffert stated the strength of the novel was in the powerful revelations in the inspired third act.
Writing for ''The Observer'', Joe Moshenska felt that the novel explored difficult themes by narrating how many Dutch characters had profited from the suffering of others and were unwilling to acknowledge their pasts. He stated the novel was "unsparing in its dissection of the lies that individuals, families, and nations tell themselves."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safekeep
2024 novels
Novels about lesbian topics
Literature by women
Simon & Schuster books
2024 LGBTQ-related literary works
2020s LGBTQ novels
21st-century Dutch novels
Novels set in the Netherlands