Safekeep

An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge

It’s fifteen years since the Second World War and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the conflict 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- she 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’s suspicions spiral out of control. In the sweltering heat of summer, Isabel’s desperate desire for order transforms into infatuation – leading to a discovery that unravels all she has ever known. The war might not be well and truly over after all, and neither Eva – nor the house – are what they seem.

Review: 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 — Miranda Cowley Heller, bestselling author of THE PAPER PALACE
Haunting and exquisitely poignant — Claire Fuller
Moving, unnerving and deeply sexy — Tracy Chevalier, author of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
The story is resolved in such a bold and tender way that it becomes not merely clever, but indelible — New York Times
An impressive debut; I already look forward to Van der Wouden’s next * Guardian *
The Safekeep is a beautiful book, highly charged, tense, shocking and heartbreaking in equal measure….One of those rare books that feels as if it’s been there all along, waiting to be given a voice. And what a voice this is. — Rachel Joyce
[A] mesmerizing debut….A novel of redemption as much as revenge, The Safekeep has the pacing and twists of a thriller * Bookpage *
Tantalizing… fans of Patricia Highsmith and Ottesa Moshfegh’s Eileen will find much to admire here. * Vulture *

Format: Hardback
Pages: 272
Imprint: Viking Penguin
Publication date: 07/08/2024