top of page
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

£16.99Price

Booker Prize Shortlist 2024. 

 

An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge - for readers of Patricia Highsmith, Sarah Waters and Ian McEwan's Atonement.

 

It's 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is well and truly over. Living alone in her late mother's country home, Isabel's life is as it should be: led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis delivers his graceless new girlfriend, Eva, at Isabel's doorstep-as a guest, there to stay for the season...

 

Eva is Isabel's antithesis: sleeps late, wakes late, walks loudly through the house and touches things she shouldn't. In response Isabel develops a fury-fuelled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house-a spoon, a knife, a bowl-Isabel' suspicions spiral out of control. In the sweltering peak of summer, Isabel's paranoia gives way to desire - 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.

-----

'Surprising, chilling, and electric. The Safekeep is a simply fantastic work of literature.'  - Alice Winn, bestselling author of IN MEMORIAM

 

'The Safekeep is a dream of a novel — mesmerizing and shockingly good — it lulls you with the lyrical beauty of its words and then slams you awake with its raw passion and rage. Part silent scream, part breathless love story — I was utterly blown away.'  - Miranda Cowley Heller

 

'A beautifully realized book, nearly perfect, as van der Wouden quietly explores the intricate nuances of resentment-hued sibling dynamics, the discovery of desire (and the simultaneous discovery of self), queer relationships at a time when they went unspoken, and the legacy of war and what it might mean to have been complicit in its horrors…. A brilliant debut, as multifaceted as a gem.'  - Starred Review, Kirkus

 

  • Details

    Imprint: Penguin

    Publication Date: 30 May 2024

    ISBN: 9780241652305

    Pages: 272

    Format: Hardback

Notice to UK, EU, and European Customers

Last Shipping Dates for Christmas: 17th December (UK 2nd Class)

EU and Northern Irish customers: We are sorry to say that, due to the new GPSR rules and regulations for EU shipping, we will not be able to ship to the EU or Northern Ireland for the foreseeable future.

Non-EU customers: Shipments to countries outside of the European Union will not be affected, but you may still incur customs charges. Please check your local import rules and regulations.

bottom of page