The Safekeep - Yael Van Der Wouden
The Safekeep is set in rural Netherlands, specifically Overijssel, around 1961, in the lingering shadow of World War II. The book opens with a gentle introduction to the characters, where we meet Yael Van Der Wouden’s protagonist, Isabel, and her siblings. This ultimately sets the narrative in motion, though it does have a slow build-up before the first major plot points arrive. We follow Isabel’s journey and her ever-growing connection with Eva, her brother’s girlfriend. When her brother leaves their childhood home for a short business trip, the two girls are left alone for an indefinite amount of time. In that space, their bond deepens, Isabel’s belongings begin to go missing, and a historically rooted emotional truth comes to light. Will it shatter their relationship, or bring them closer together?
It’s a story about control, obsession, and the hidden histories tucked inside a house far more complicated than it first appears. And Van Der Wouden does a lovely job of bringing that vision to life.
Initially, I thought the opening was a bit slow. It took me a few days to properly get into it, and at times I wondered whether this book would be interesting enough for me to keep going. But by the time I’d finished the first third, I was proven very wrong. This became an extremely enthralling read, and I found myself invested in both Isabel and Eva’s lives as if I knew them personally — like I was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, listening to them tell me their story.
Historical novels have never ceased to amaze me. I find military history incredibly engaging, and I genuinely want to know about every second of every year the world wars took place. The subject fascinates me, so when I find a novel set in or around wartime, I know I’m going to enjoy it — and I can’t recommend The Safekeep enough. Not only does it touch on the Holocaust and its devastating effects on Jewish lives, it’s also built around a beautiful love story between two women who, at the time, would never have been able to be open about their relationship. It offers insight into what life was like for queer people when their identities were heavily stigmatized. Because of that, it evoked a kind of fear and heartache I don’t always feel when reading contemporary lesbian romance.
Van Der Wouden captivated me with her complex characters, to the point where the story felt almost entirely character-driven — with the house itself acting as a character too. It symbolizes so many things like: memory, and trauma that tie into the book’s main themes: secrets, and the desire for control. It’s a simple story on the surface, but it carries powerful meaning and delivers heart-stopping twists that pulled me even deeper into their world. I wasn’t taken on a chaotic emotional roller coaster; instead, it felt like drifting down a tender, composed river in a gently bobbing boat that occasionally tugged at my heartstrings. Van Der Wouden writes with a calm, steady hand — short sentences that keep the pace flowing, dialogue that feels true to how people actually speak. And with all its unnerving moments, its sensual scenes, and its elegant bursts of description, it becomes a deeply moving piece of writing.
Overall, I’d give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a little slow at the start and not immediately captivating, but once the small conflicts begin — the friction between personalities, beliefs, and buried truths — I was hooked and eager to uncover exactly where these women came from. The Sunday Times calls it “razor-sharp, perfectly plotted… a thrilling story,” and I couldn’t agree more. It’s different, it’s steamy, it’s unlike anything else — and it absolutely deserves the praise. I’m so glad I read it, and I hope you are (or will be) too.
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