Beautifully written and imbued with a beguiling emotional texture, The Safekeep is a stunner of a debut. A wholly absorbing, sapphic historical fiction that celebrates the transcendent power of female love in the face of past injustice and betrayal.

I came into this blind and was immediately drawn in by Van Der Wouden’s sparse, elegant prose and my growing curiosity about the main character, Isabel, a young woman living alone in her family home in the Dutch countryside, following the death of her mother and the departure of her brothers for the city.

Isabel’s life is defined by loneliness, routine and the bitterness she harbors for her lot, and she is less than amused when elder brother Louis foists his latest girlfriend upon her while he travels for work. Isabel dislikes her guest upon sight, mostly because Eva is everything she’s not, and when small items start to go missing from the house, she is certain she knows who’s to blame. As Isabel’s fury builds, so do other dormant emotions she never knew existed.

Set against the sweltering heat of the summer of 1961, Van Der Wouden’s unfolding of the relationship between the two women is executed with a delicate but incisive touch: a tentative dance that dips and sways before exploding into an erotic, all-consuming passion.

It’s a transformative, earth-shattering awakening which, in its description, teeters on the verge of erotica but is ultimately saved by Van Der Wouden perfectly balancing the rawness of the lovers’ physical intimacy with the beauty of their emotional connection.

Of course, there’s a sting in the tail, a plot shift that introduces a chilling, new strand to the story. One that speaks to injustice, complicity and revenge. It’s a wholly unexpected twist that in a single, masterful stroke both underpins and shatters the narrative. It blew me away.

By any reckoning, The Safekeep is a sublime piece of storytelling. As a debut, it’s remarkable. Recommended for fans of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith and Ian McEwan’s Atonement.

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden blew my mind! I was intrigued by a novel about a post-war Netherlands, 1961 and people rebuilding their lives and communities.

Isabel is living in the home of her late mother, a beautiful house that anyone would be envious of, grand, opulent and everything Isabel could want, and is, that is until her brother drops off his girlfriend and tranquilty turns to chaos

Imagine living with a person that you hardly know, in your space, who is the opposite of you in every way. Resentment soon begins to simmer, and as things start to go missing, reaches a terrifying boiling point...

A stunning debut that had me utterly engrossed. Not at all what I was expecting and certainly an authour I will be following!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business | Viking and the author Yael van der Wouden for this belter of an ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. All opinions are entirely mine and authentic.

Set in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961, The Safekeep is a gorgeously romantic and equally captivating novel that tells the story of Isabel, a woman who is attached to her family’s country house. The home will one day belong to her brother Louis who prefers city living, yet the house means everything to Isabel – it’s rooted in family nostalgia and storied history. When Louis is away for a work trip, his girlfriend stays behind to live in the country house with Isabel, much to her disgust. But her fury spirals and soon gives way to desire. ‘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.’

This summery, romantic and nostalgic tale made for a beautiful read. It unfolds slowly, languidly, and in such a way that you don’t even notice the story becoming something else entirely. What a feat from the author. Isabel has a rich background and her sense of self is portrayed wonderfully – an innate longing for home, belonging and comfort. Eva is the perfect antithesis to homely Isabel and the romantic longings and queer desire are executed incredibly. There’s soft romance and desire interwoven throughout and I just lapped it all up beneath the English June sunshine. I don’t read much literary fiction these days, but I adored the exactness and joyful lushness of the writing here. It transported me straight to the Dutch countryside, and I was loathe to leave it.

This is mesmerising and unexpected! The story telling is incredible, with very sensual writing. The tension and the build up are very well done and I really enjoy reading it! All the characters are very sharp and well portrayed and I don't want to spoil a single bit of this book, go read it!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

"The Safekeep" by Yael van der Wouden is an exhilarating tale of desire and obsession set in the Dutch countryside in 1961. Isabel, deeply attached to her family’s country house, finds her world upended when her brother's girlfriend, Eva, comes to stay. Tensions rise as Eva's strong personality challenges Isabel, leading to unexpected intimacy and confrontation.

Van der Wouden masterfully explores themes of legacy and the darker parts of our collective past, using rich imagery and precise foreshadowing to build suspense. Despite some redundant sentences, the novel’s prose captivates, with symbolic descriptions enhancing the narrative. While the ending might feel a bit flimsy, the story’s complexity and emotional depth make "The Safekeep" a compelling and thought-provoking read.

I really struggled to engage with this book. Whilst I did finish it I felt my reading was superficial and therefore I find it hard to review. There are some excellent reviews and I think it will appeal to many but I missed a lot of the nuances as my mind kept slipping.

Beautiful book - one of my favourite books of 2024. It starts slowly and I really thought it was going in one direction and didn’t anticipate the twist at all.
The twist is so beautifully executed and it has made me think about the book often since finishing it.

This was a book with many layers which kept peeling insight, beauty and surprise throughout. The characters went from being unlikeable to becoming close to my heart. The exploration of freedom from rules, injustice and prejudice was nuanced and intelligent. I loved the subtlety with which Isabel, the protagonist's neuro divergence was written and how the strict framework of her world was deconstructed allowing her to experience a richness to her life experience that had always been shut away. The prose was sometimes a little overwritten but there were also moments of beautiful writing which will stay with me. This book brings so many new ideas to historical fiction - highly commend the skill of this author.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This is a hard-hitting and emotional read, exploring emotions, family possessions and home. You feel connected to all of the characters as they face their own challenges and work through emotions that area bigger than they had imagined.

Three siblings grow up in a house that they assume was bought fairly for them by an uncle. When Louis deposits his latest girlfriend Eva to stay at the house with his sister Isabel, it gradually becomes clear that Eva's family had owned the house before being deported to camps in the recent Second World War.

Complicated by the developing relationship between Isabel and Eva, emotions run high as history is played out around them, with some super secondary storylines around the third sibling Hendrick who lives happily with his lover Sebastien.

Overall a complex and compassionate story told beautifully.

It's 1961 in post war Netherlands. Isabel lives in a beautiful family house in the Dutch countrysideby herself. Her family acquired the house during the war as an escape from the city. Then one day her brother, Louis, brings his new girlfriend, Eve, to dinner with his family and Isabel's world is about to change.. Louis persuades her to let Eve stay at her house while he's away.
But Eve has a secret...
A great storyline which eventually unfolded but as I didn't particularly like any of the characters, I found the story to drag a bit.

Unfortunately not a gripping read, although addressing an interesting and previously unknown to me topic.

Unexpected debut novel. A Dutch house, an obsessive relationship and lots of secrets from the past make it an engaging novel.

Set in post-war Netherlands, this novel gives interesting glimpses of the history and attitudes of the time but also focuses on one main character, Isabel, who lives a somewhat isolated existence in her family home after other members have left. Her constant companion is therefore the house, which takes on its own character and contributes a delightfully broody atmosphere. Everything changes however after Isabel’s brother brings home his girlfriend to stay and the safe cocoon she has built around herself is challenged. I found this immersive and atmospheric novel very enjoyable and easy to get into.

It’s 1961, and in the middle of the Dutch countryside in a beautiful house lives Isabel. After the death of her mother, her two brothers Louis and Hendrik moved on to the city leaving Isabel on her own. Subsequently becomes attached to the house and all its possessions. Content with her own company and set routine, Isabel becomes angry after Louis allows his girlfriend Eva to move into the house whilst he is away for work. Tensions rise between the two women, and as things start to go missing, is there more to Eva than meets the eye?

Oh yes, this book was STUNNING! 🤩 I absolutely devoured this book in the space of one afternoon and quite frankly I didn’t want it to end. Beautiful lyrical writing, incredible pacing, SO MUCH TENSION - ugh this was just a dream to read. Its exactly the type of historical fiction I love and I will be recommending this to absolutely everyone for the foreseeable future 😭😂

"She knew Eva was there, knew she had approached. She would never not know. She would never leave a room again and not leave half of her behind."

It's 1961 and Isabel lives alone in the house she grew up in the Dutch countryside. It's been promised to her brother, Louis, who lives in the city and doesn't seem very interested in it. Instead, he brings 'home' girl after girl, and Isabel believes he'll never settle down and want the house. It's all she has. Then, he brings home Eva and soon after, he asks Isabel to put up Eva for a month while he goes on a work trip.

Isabel can't stand Eva. In her stuck-up way, she feels like her home, her identity has been invaded and she treats Eva poorly. And yet, as time passes, Isabel feels herself drawn to the other woman, and begins to thaw, though she fights it at first. And so, the two build up a fierce and passionate connection that will lead to the discovery of a secret that could destroy them both.

Initially, I thought there was a danger I might not finish this book. It's a slow burn; in the beginning, I struggled to see where it was going. But I am so glad I stuck with it. It reminded me of the film 'Carol' in some ways. It is a deeply resonant look at how we form our identities, the meaning of what a home is, and how important it is to scratch beneath the surface.

This sapphic work of historical fiction is gorgeous and moving. The twist/reveal broke my heart and I was profoundly moved. Isabel is unlikeable in the extreme, particularly for the first half of the book, while Eva seems flighty and shallow. Both these perceptions are challenged and ultimately subverted.

June is Pride Month and this will certainly be one of my recommendations.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK for this eCopy to review

The Safekeep was an interesting insight into a place and period of time I do not know much about, after the end of world war 2 in rural Holland. The main characters Isabel and Eva drew me in by how despite being opposites in everything when thrown together for a month living in the family home they form a relationship. The feelings of malevolence are excellent with many secrets about the house being revealed.

A thought provoking read

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

its definitely creepy and atmospheric but for me it didnt hold my attention and i tried to like isobel but there was something about her character that i just didnt like....

This book has a fantastic premise - a rarely told story of the aftermath of WWII in a region that I feel is often overlooked in history. I leapt at the chance to read a cross section of historical fiction with a new lens.

However, I was let down by the middle section of the book - it dragged on between Isa and Eva; to a point that I very nearly gave up on the story. They're both extremely strong, nuanced women, and their relationship was an odd one. I enjoyed the idea that Eva would be there to loosen up the tightly wound Isa, who'd otherwise be a spinster living in a precarious position and without an estate to inherit. I'm not sure I entirely got what I was looking for, in that respect (without spoilers!)

Overall I wish this had gone through a separate editing round, since the idea and the wordcraft were a strong jumping point - it just lacked the punchiness or intrigue I think is needed.

Set in post-war 1960’s Netherlands, The Safekeeping is a novel of two extremely different women in one home which often acts as a character itself, full of history and family drama. Isabel is a cold and difficult character, when her brothers new girlfriend Eva, comes to stay with her, she is challenged by her new house guests warmth and carelessness. This is a beautifully written novel with complex and well-rounded characters, full of sensuality, reserved emotion, self-realisation, and quiet pain. A wonderful debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this. Beautiful, atmospheric writing with a story full of twists. Exposes the devastating impact of the Holocaust in post war Europe and also has a really interesting exploration around the theme of houses and homes. The super heart wrenching queer love story was also amazingly written. This book really took me by surprise, I never knew what was around the corner. An amazing debut!