There aren't many houses big enough for two opposites to live in. This seemed to be true of Isabel's home in the Dutch countryside. THE SAFEKEEP, by Yael van der Wouden, opens in 1961. The house was purchased by Isabel's uncle during the war and he let Isabel's family live in it with the hope of keeping them safe. Oddly, the house was completely furnished and equipped with everything one needed. By 1961 Isabel was living there alone, her parents dead and her brothers had moved out. This changed when Eva, the live-in girlfriend of one of her brothers, came to stay with her, uninvited and unwelcome by Isabel. What followed was shocking to both women. In Isabel and Eva, the author has created two women who are polar opposites or so it seems initially. Isabel's attachment to the house bordered on obsessive. She tolerated no disorder or change in routine. She detested everything about Eva. Absolutely everything. As things began to disappear, Isabel's anger grew as she was certain Eva was responsible. Then, unexpectedly and oddly, Isabel's hatred turned to something else. Something neither woman could explain. Well plotted, this is a story in which tension runs high. The house and the women have secrets and when they were revealed the outcomes were profound. THE SAFEKEEP is a unique and haunting story whose characters will surprise readers. Skillfully crafted, is packed with passion, haunting memories and unlikely relationships.
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.
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