The Safekeep

De: Yael van der Wouden

Narrado por: Stina Nielsen, Saskia Maarleveld

Longlisted for the Booker Prize | “Remarkable…Compelling…Fine and taut…Indelible” —The New York Times • “Mesmerizing and shockingly good…I was utterly blown away.” —Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace • “A brilliant debut, as multifaceted as a gem.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) • “Moving, unnerving, and deeply sexy.” —Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with the Pearl Earring • “Fans of Patricia Highsmith and Ottessa Moshfegh’s Eileen will find much to admire here.”—Vulture

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.

©2024 Yael van der Wouden (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Storytelling

Slow reveal. Goosebumps. Something not quite right but What/Who is it and Why. Excellent.

It’s all about perspective….

.., history shapes current life whether we realize it, or have a way to know it, or not.

Story line

I didn’t like how the narrator transitioned from one subject to next. The tone of her voice did not change.

Excellent

Every word is compelling! We should all understand this history…the surprises among the characters are well developed

This One Should Win

I have no idea what the Booker Prize committee will decide, but IMHO, this one should win. This is a totally new (and erotic?) take on the problems associated with displacement and the right of return in our time—and how trauma persists or can be eventually healed. I mean, I really love James and Creation Lake, too—that committee has a tough choice this time around—but this novel has deep roots in the anxiety, zeitgeist, and faintest hope of this particular historical moment, and those roots are deep enough to sustain something that will live and last for a long time yet to come.

A hauntingly beautiful story.

The characters were beautifully written, both haunted by the past. What a wonderful read. I don't usually post reviews, but this one touched my heart.

Unexpected

I really liked the story overall and the ending was unexpected. I did not care for All the explicit sexual details.

Wow! This is a wonderful listen!

This book is beautifully written with a taut, intense plot on top cooking hot and a bread-crumb tra subplot happening underneath. In the end, it all surfaces and the reader is faced with a whole host of intense feelings. I loved it.

Great book!

Terrific story!Complex, gripping, struggles with etetnal truths. Best book I have read in a very long time!

Compelling tale of loss and safe haven

Beautiful story. The brothers’ characters were not well developed and rather one dimensional. But the two women were complex and striking.