Contemporary Jewish Fiction Spring Class
Thursday, May 15 & 22, 10:30 am (hybrid)
With Cynthia Good
We look forward to in-person (and online) learning and the opportunity for in-depth study and our usual lively discussion around The Safekeep, a fascinating, provocative book. This is the first novel written by Yael van der Wouden, an Israeli-born Jewish Dutch writer, only 37 years old, widely praised and shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.
Living alone in Holland in 1961 in her late mother’s country home, Isabel knows her life is as it should be—led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis brings his graceless new girlfriend Eva, leaving her at Isabel’s doorstep as a guest, to stay for the season. Eva is Isabel’s antithesis: she sleeps late, walks loudly through the house, and touches things she shouldn’t. In response, Isabel develops a fury-fueled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house—a spoon, a knife, a bowl—Isabel’s suspicions begin to spiral.
This is a book of surprises, and just a warning – or an incentive – it gets pretty steamy with a section of unexpected explicit sex. As soon as I read this intriguing novel, I thought I wanted to study it more closely, and I look forward to doing so with you and hearing your reactions. All are welcome!
Mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and infused with intrigue, atmosphere, and sex, The Safekeep is “a brave and thrilling debut about facing up to the truth of history, and to one’s own desires” (The Guardian)
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION A Best Book of 2024: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Time, The Economist, The Globe and Mail (Toronto), Kirkus Reviews, The Independent, BookPage, The Sunday Times (London)
