Book Review - The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

 

 

 

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is about a woman, Isabel, who is forced to share her house with her brother’s girlfriend. In 1961 in the rural Dutch province of Overijssel, the war was over. Life has begun to move on and settle into a new pace. Isabel is living alone in her late mother’s country home by herself. She is disciplined and spends her day following the same routine. Everything is kept in its place and there is no disorder.

That all changes when her brother, Louis, requests to have his girlfriend, Eva, to stay with Isabel for the season. Isabel is annoyed by Eva and her looming presence. Isabel considers Eva to be loud and brash and the opposite of her.

Isabel becomes convinced that someone is stealing things from the house. She starts noticing little things are disappearing. First, it was a spoon, then a knife, and a bowl. Isabel tries to voice her suspicions to her family, but everyone thinks she is overreacting. As Isabel and Eva start to spend more time together, Isabel makes a startling discovery that will change everything she has ever known.

The novel was a cozy read. I was able to guess where the novel was heading and the reason behind Eva’s visit early on. It was an entertaining read but, I did find both Isabel and Eva to be annoying some of the time. They both had hidden motives but their attraction to each other came out of nowhere. I thought the book was an okay read but, I would be open to reading more books by the author.