London : Penguin Books 2025
262 pages
978-0-241-99977-6
March brings us another prized book: The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2025 and was on the Booker Prize 2024 shortlist. A title that was praised both by the readers and the critics.
Set fifteen years after the Second World War in the rural Dutch province of Overijssel Isabel lives a quiet and organised life. Until her brother decides to leave his girlfriend Eva with her and that turns upside down all her life. Booker Prize called it “an exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes – and the legacy of one of the 20th century’s greatest tragedies.” The novel explores profound themes such as the legacy of the Holocaust in the Netherlands, guilt, repressed desire, and power relations between women. The tension between Isabel and Eva evolves from hostility to intense romantic attraction, culminating in a discovery that challenges everything Isabel thought she knew about her past and her identity.
Chair of the Women’s Prize for Fiction judging panel, author Kit de Waal, said: “The Safekeep is that rare thing: a masterful blend of history, suspense and historical authenticity … a classic in the making.” And it’s the author’s debut, so somehow it’s even more impressive.
If it caught your attention, you can come to the meeting on March 9 and discuss it with us, or ponder some issues on your own:
– Isabel meticulously catalogues and preserves all of the possessions in her family home, constantly counting and checking that each item is in its rightful place and hasn’t been tampered with, moved or stolen. As you read the book, what did you think were the reasons behind Isabel’s obsessive behaviour?
– Isabel’s intense dislike towards Eva was immediate, even though Eva remained friendly during their first interaction. Why do you think Isabel acted the way she did without attempting to get to know Eva?
– The book highlights some of the societal expectations that were placed on women throughout the 1960s. Yet other aspects of the book – the queer relationship at its centre and its reckoning with the horrors of the past – could be regarded as very modern elements. How successfully do you think the author balances aspects of historical fiction with contemporary concerns?
– Isabel’s brother Hendrik has a male partner, Sebastian, with whom he lives. Why do you think van der Wouden decided to add in this fact about Hendrik, and how might this have affected Isabel’s view on queer relationships?
– In the final part of the book, Isabel reads Eva’s closely guarded diary, the entries from which allow us to see events from Eva’s perspective – and placing her real identity front and centre. How did the diary entries affect your view of Eva and your empathy towards her as a character?
– Some reviewers have praised the way van der Wouden slowly builds tension and atmosphere, especially in the book’s first third, while others felt that the pace was too slow and uneven in places. What was your view?
– In an interview with the Booker Prizes, van der Wouden has said that part of her inspiration behind writing The Safekeep was ‘wanting to explore desire as the flipside of repulsion.’ Do you think she successfully achieved this with her portrayal of Isabel and Eva’s complex, hate/love relationship?
– Did you think the distrust, tension and growing attraction between Isabel and Eva was realistically portrayed. Was their love story convincing?
Questions taken from:
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/reading-guide-the-safekeep-by-yael-van-der-wouden