Description
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is a literary historical novel set in the Dutch countryside in 1961, exploring obsession, secrecy and the lingering legacy of World War II. Living alone in her late mother’s house in the quiet province of Overijssel, Isabel maintains a life governed by strict routines and careful order. Her controlled world is disrupted when her brother Louis unexpectedly leaves his girlfriend, Eva, at the house for an extended stay. Eva’s presence unsettles Isabel from the start. Careless with the house and indifferent to its rules, she becomes the focus of Isabel’s growing suspicion when small household items begin to disappear. As the heat of summer intensifies, Isabel’s resentment gradually shifts into a complicated fascination and attraction. What begins as distrust slowly evolves into an emotionally charged relationship between the two women, revealing buried secrets connected to the house and to the years following the war. Through its tense, intimate setting, the novel examines memory, ownership, identity and the unresolved aftermath of wartime history.
The novel combines slow-burn psychological tension with a developing relationship between Isabel and Eva, while uncovering secrets tied to the house and the lingering aftermath of World War II.
