Yael van der Wouden

Safekeep is set in the Netherlands in 1961 and follows Isabel, a solitary woman living in the family home inherited after the death of her mother. Her carefully ordered existence is disrupted when her brother Louis arrives with his new girlfriend, Eva, who is invited to stay in the house. Isabel finds Eva intrusive and becomes increasingly suspicious of her behaviour, interpreting small disturbances as signs that something is wrong. Yet her growing fixation on Eva gradually reveals deeper tensions involving desire, family history, and the secrets embedded in the house itself. As their relationship changes, Isabel must confront assumptions she has long used to protect herself from emotional uncertainty. Van der Wouden combines psychological suspense with an exploration of postwar Dutch society, examining belonging, repression, and the ways personal histories can conceal larger historical injustices. The novel asks what it means to claim a home and what may be hidden behind the things people believe they own.