The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden was perhaps the most fun book on the list.
Isabel lives alone in the house her family moved into during the Second World War, the house where her mother died. She is paranoid that everyone is stealing from her and suspicious of every new person she meets, including Eva. Eva is her fuckboi brother’s new girlfriend, whom he moves into the family home (which he technically owns) and, in doing so, pushes Isabel’s anxiety off a cliff.
Written in accomplished prose littered with moments of sumptuous beauty, Van der Wouden crafts a novel with slowly rising tension you feel as a reader, as much as you feel the moments later on that I wasn’t expecting to be so, well, sexy. Van der Wouden does well with atmosphere. What she does less well is originality. There was a supposed secret in this book, a moment of reveal that I presume was meant to surprise the reader, but that was both so heavily foreshadowed and so frequently done in other works that the real surprise would be if any reader didn’t see it coming. The beats of the book felt drawn from many books I have read before, and while each moment was done with skill here, there was nothing new brought to a well-worn tale. It was a fun book, but one I was surprised made it to Booker longlist

I've been sat with this book for a while, picking it up to read and then deciding it on another. It finally got to the top of the pile - and about time, what a great read!

Isabel is a grumpy and bitter young woman, living alone in the family home; sometimes visited by her brother Hendrik and his partner Sebastian, sometimes visited by her brother Louis and any one of his female lovers.

This time, Louis arrives with his latest girl, Eva - and leaves her behind when he goes off on business. Isabel and Eva skirt around each other, each sizing up the other's motivation and behaviour, but eventually events take place which disrupt everything.

This would have been a great story just like this, but a twist gives this story another edge. Highly recommended.

A beautiful twisting tale of desire and obsession between two young women sharing a house in the Dutch countryside. I found myself swept away by this novel and the way it protrays love.

The house in The Safekeep is at the centre of this story. Isabel lives alone in the large family home in the countryside, whilst her brothers, Louis and Hendrik, live in the city. Isabel and Hendrik are invited to meet yet another of Louis’ girlfriends, and they don’t seem to take either one of them seriously. Shortly afterwards, Louis has to leave for France on business, and his girlfriend doesn’t want to stay in their city flat alone. So she asks to stay with Isabel.

Isabel lives a very rigid life. Not religious as such, but close to the Calvinist religion that their mother brought them up in. She’s paranoid about things going missing from inside the house, she constantly counts everything and tries to keep the house as her mother would have done. It becomes clear towards the end why she does this.

Isabel clearly doesn’t want Eva to stay. She wants to be alone in the house. Isabel also doesn’t want the attention of a rather over-enthusiastic male “friend”. She goes on dates with him, barely tolerating his company.

As Isabel and Eva’s relationship develops, we see another side of Isabel, and in the latter half of the book there are diary entries that explain a lot about her (I love a book with diary entries). This is a love story, but also a story about what happened to the property of returning Jews after WW2. It’s a psychological novel with a lot of secrets at its heart. It must have been a tough call for this book NOT to win the Booker in 2024.

A short story that’s as tense as it is deliciously surprising ✨

The Safe Keep is set during a sweltering summer, fifteen years after the Second World War. Isabel lives a solitary, tightly controlled life in her late mother’s country home, every detail meticulously in place. But when her brother arrives with his awkward new girlfriend, Eva, to stay for the season, Isabel’s careful existence begins to unravel. As tensions rise between the two women, a startling revelation comes to light—one that changes everything.

I’ve read some amazing short stories this year, and this one is definitely up there for me 🙌🏼 Despite its brevity, The Safe Keep is packed with tension, twists, and impact. It took me completely by surprise in the best way. The characters are brilliantly drawn—Isabel’s tightly wound control and Eva’s presence are so vividly realised, it felt like I was right there in the oppressive heat of that summer.

This story is an exceptional debut—gripping, sharp, and filled with an undercurrent of menace. It’s the kind of story that lingers long after you’ve finished reading. If you’re a fan of Patricia Highsmith or Sarah Waters, I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you so much for access to an early release. This book is incredible and I can see it making great, great waves. I SUPER recommend it. The sorting was beautiful, the characters so well developed and I absolutely flew through it.

The Safe Keep is mesmerising in its slow unfurling of a family secret. In its slow burn of self-realisation and truth.

Isabel is at first an unlikely hero. Blunt, controlled, rigid. She remains the keeper of a family home stuck in the past. A fragment of crockery found in the garden seems innocuous, but is the key to revealing what has been hidden for so long.

It's 1961 Netherlands, and Isabel meets her brothers, Henrik and Louis for dinner. Louis brings the latest in a long line of flings and Isabel takes an instant dislike to Eva.

So when Louis has to go away for work and asks if Eva can come to stay with Isabel for company, she is horrified. But, as Louis reminds her, the house is to be his, and so she reluctantly acquiesces.

Suspicious by nature, their co-habitation is far from comfortable. It is now that the author peels away layers to reveal what lies at the heart of Isabel's stoic chilliness. She's a hurt child, forced to grow up too soon, and abandoned by those she loved.

Eva is also not at all what she seems.

And it is only together that these two women will right the wrongs of the past and find a way to be true to themselves.

Brilliantly crafted, sensitive and sensual, powerful and captivating, a triumph of hope over adversity.

🇳🇱The Safekeep - Yael van der Wouden

I went into this book completely blind, just knowing it was nominated and shortlisted for the booker prize this year. I started off thinking it was a post war novel about a lonely women who had the newest girlfriend of her brothers come to stay. However, the book had so much more depth than this.

Isabel has built herself a solitary life in the large family home. Nothing is out of place. However, this is all upended when her brother delivers his newest girlfriend Eva, as a guest to stay for an extended period. In the hot summer, Isabels desperate need for control reaches boiling point, and her revelation threatens to unravel all she has ever known.

In only 250 pages this was an absolute powerhouse of a book. I cannot believe how much the characters developed in such a short period of time. It was really not what I expected and I'm so happy it got shortlisted for the booker even though it didn't win.

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Set in Holland in 1961 this is at its heart the story of a house and the families that lived in it. Initially a very slow burn I found the writing a little disjointed for me. However as the novel moved on and secrets began to be revealed the narrative became more gripping. That having been said there were times when the writing was beautiful. I certainly learnt about a time in Dutch history of which I wasn’t aware. I think that for me it was unfortunately the right book but at the wrong time and I will possibly return to it in the future..Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for a honest review.

I became interested in reading this book when I heard Yael van der Wouden's writing compared to Sarah Waters, who I adore. I'm glad to say I can see the similarity in the way that this book is written, in its sexiness, elegance and how the effects of forbidden love are mirrored darkly in society. Where it differed to Waters was its tautness, which added to the slightly eerie tension that comes alongside the love story. Overall, this book is unlike anything I've read, and is told so perfectly succinctly it left me in awe.

Is it true that the sins of the father visit the daughter? This is a story about live, desire, and revenge, and what home really means....Read it!

What a quietly gripping read. The Safekeep drew me in from the start with its understated tension and beautifully developed characters. I was hooked as the layers of each protagonist were peeled back, their secrets and motivations slowly coming to light in a way that kept me glued to the pages.

This book was beautifully written, there were several times where I went back to re-read parts.
I loved the setting of the house, it is very isolating and magnifies feelings and thoughts.
I felt this book offered a truly fresh and different perspective on the war and the consequences afterwards.

The Safe Keep by Yael van der Wouden

Just finished the August @tiredmammybookclub from the booker longlist.
This was a beautifully written book which really transported me back in town.
It's 1961 and in the countryside in The Netherlands, Isabel lives a solitary, predictable life in her family home. Her brother, Louis, insists that his new girlfriend, Eva, stay with Isabel while he is travelling. Used to her own company everything changes when Eva moves in.
This is definitely worth a read, and in my opinion is deserving of a place on the shortlist.
Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC.

#readthebooker #tiredmammybookclub #irishbookstagram #scottishreader

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was difficult for me to get into but as we learned more about Isabel and Eva, I found myself not wanting to put it down. The plot did meander at times and it’s not what I expected at all but I really enjoyed this. The author was great at depicting the character’s longing and tension.

What a brilliant book. I loved it from the get go and I know it's a proof but WHAT a cover. So happy it's made the Booker shortlist.

This is an intriguing tale of desire and intimacy, secrets and obsession in the Dutch countryside. Set in the summer of 1961, this book is definitely a transporting one. The main character, Isabel, is living on her own in her late mother’s country home, and everything seems in order before the arrival of her brother Louis’ girlfriend, Eva, who seems to break the routine and order Isabel has established. Louis himself is briefly mentioned as he lives in the city and Isabel’s other brother, Hendrik, is living with his boyfriend, Sebastian.

Everything Eva does seems to trigger Isabel. One thing leads to another and Isabel’s desire for Eva is slowly revealed. Then, things start to disappear and when Isabel discovers that Eva has been taking from the house, she asks her to leave. More secrets are then slowly revealed. The book really describes desire, awakening and longing very well, not only romantically, but also in the case of belonging. It also describes the atmosphere of a post-war life well.

“…No one ever knows anything in this country. No one knows where they live, who did what, who went where. Everything is a mystery. Knowledge is elusive.”

Poignant in so many ways. I thought it was a breathtaking read.

My fourth read from the Booker Prize longlist this year and I think this might be my favourite so far. I wasn’t sure about it to start with - the first two parts were OK, where you are introduced to the characters and learn about their relationships but around the 65% mark I was debating whether to DNF it. I kept going and I am so glad I did - the third part changes your view of the whole story and all of the characters! It was brilliantly done and made me want to go back to the start to read it all over again.

Definitely worthy of being on the Booker Longlist. I didn’t get around to reading it before it was published but I’m so glad I’ve read it now - a great story and very worthy of being on the longlist!

I can appreciate this is a well written book, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. It was not what I was expecting at all.
I did not like the character of Isabel. I only started to like the book once we got to Eva's diary (about 70% in) and then the book started to make more sense and was much more interesting. But it took too much to get there. Not really for me unfortunately.

It's 1961 and Isabel lives in an isolated home by herself after her mother's death. However, when her brother's girlfriend arrives at the house for an extended stay

This novel was a slow burn that captured me from the first page and left me spellbound. The relationship between Isabel and Eva was so tense that at times I felt like I needed to look away. Isabel's relationship with the house and her mother and brothers as well as the house itself unfolded in a way which had me captivated. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it and that's always a sign of a beautiful and haunting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.