The Safekeep ~ Yael van der Wouden (90 of 2024)

 

The Safekeep explores compelling themes. Against the backdrop of the 1960s, the narrative has the opportunity to unveil the societal expectations and constraints placed on women. Yael van der Wouden’s writing is top-notch and  were very absorbing. Her descriptions of the house and its contents, as well as the way she describes the characters’ expressions and body language, were very well done.  With the historic theme of dispossession, van der Wouden pairs the psychological theme of repression: Our protagonist is Isabel, a lonely young woman with obsessive-compulsive traits who struggles to connect with other people. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTmCp93-Sg

In the summer of 1961 in the quiet Dutch province of Overijssel, Isabel, living alone in her late mother's country home, finds her daily routine disrupted by the unwelcome arrival of Eva, her brother Louis’ latest girlfriend. Despite her protestations, Louis, the ‘official’ owner of the house, forces his decision onto Isabel before setting off. Eva is very much an unwanted guest and behaves in a way that sets Isabel’s teeth on edge. The house officially belongs to her uncle, and it is promised to Louis, she is only tolerated there as long as her brother agrees, while her gay brother Hendrik has made a home with his half-Algerian boyfriend Sebastian  Isabel, already prone to paranoia and possessing a rather sanctimonious outlook, abhors Eva. She seems to believe that Eva’s girlish, laid-back nature is a front and soon suspects her of stealing when several items go missing. Now and again they spend time with Isabel’s other brother Hendrik. 

Nothing much happens beyond a series of domestic scenes in which Isabel is depicted as a repressed, slightly neurotic woman who, like many repressed fictional characters before her, lets out her frustration and anger by stuffing her face into a towel or a pillow or whatnot and screaming. Or giving Bateman-spiraling-over-a-business-card energy. 

Isabel, who is neither complex nor intriguing enough for me to feel any sort of way towards her, fails to evolve beyond a one-dimensional character. Her contradictions and inner conflicts lack depth and come across as contrived and uninspiring.The novel does allow us to see how Isabel's narrow mindset becomes a self-imposed trap, hindering her from experiencing true fulfillment, living in the shadow of her mother and resentful of her brothers' freedom. The central themes of inherited guilt and reparations are also pivotal to the narrative. Hendrik has lived away from this location since coming out to their mother who is now deceased. But Isabel studiously ignored the reality and reasons behind his leaving. It describes how “she could sometimes blur her eyes when looking at something – decide not to see it in full focus, decide to disengage.” This explains a lot about Isabel who uses self-denial when it comes to things that are emotionally difficult – both external and internal. 

Eva, the object of Isabel’s desire, was even less interesting. Her character consists of a series of thin impressions, making her into a barely-there sort of presence. This is surprising given that she is meant to be the catalyst to Isabel, the reason behind the ‘unravelling’ of her studied outer self. We are probably meant to find Eva to be the more approachable character. Her hidden agenda felt disappointingly moviesque, especially the way her backstory is presented to us…it was very giving historical melodrama. 

The house itself is like the central character in this novel. It is the safe keep which contains many possessions which are filled with meaning and it has witnessed many people and events passing through it over the years.

I don't think the ending is the main point of this novel as it's more about the tension of the story and what goes unspoken in our personal lives and the political workings/social attitudes of a nation in the aftermath of war.  In the final chapters, the protagonist reaches a crucial turning point where they must confront the truths they have been avoiding. The narrative builds to an emotional climax that reveals the complexity of the characters' relationships and the deep impact of their experiences. The resolution is both bittersweet and hopeful, leaving the reader with a sense of closure while also acknowledging the lingering effects of the characters' struggles.

The ending emphasizes the importance of facing one's fears and the possibility of finding peace, even after enduring significant hardships. It's a powerful conclusion that resonates with the novel's themes of resilience and the human capacity for recovery. The disappearing items symbolize the protagonist's internal struggles with memory and trauma. As the characters deal with their pasts, the vanishing objects reflect their inability to hold onto certain memories or the desire to forget painful experiences. The phenomenon might represent how trauma can cause parts of one's life to feel as if they have been erased or lost.The disappearances could be seen as a manifestation of the protagonist's psychological state—an external representation of their internal turmoil. The house itself seems to respond to the emotions and mental state of its inhabitants, making the disappearances feel almost supernatural.

The author employs her two main symbols, the pear that you can also see on the cover and the hare that appears in different contexts. What “Call Me By Your Name” did for peaches, “The Safekeep” does for pears. They contribute to the atmosphere of the story, providing tangible connections to the abstract emotions and experiences of the characters. Through these symbols, the author invites readers to engage with the novel on a deeper level, contemplating the nature of memory, the passage of time, and the paths to healing.

The pear, which is prominently featured on the book's cover, symbolizes fragility, nourishment, and the passage of time. It represents something that is both beautiful and perishable, much like memories and relationships. The pear could also be seen as a metaphor for the delicate balance the characters must maintain as they navigate their emotional landscapes. As a fruit that ripens, decays, and eventually disappears, the pear mirrors the fleeting nature of certain moments in life and the inevitable changes that come with time. The pear's presence throughout the novel might also signify the longing for something wholesome and pure, a connection to simpler, more innocent times. Its appearance can evoke a sense of nostalgia and the bittersweet realization that such moments are temporary and cannot be preserved forever.

The hare is a more elusive and multifaceted symbol, appearing in different contexts and embodying various themes. Traditionally, hares are often associated with vulnerability, quickness, and transformation. In the novel, the hare could represent the characters' instincts to flee from their pasts, their traumas, or even their feelings. The hare’s presence suggests an underlying tension and the constant possibility of escape or retreat. The hare might also symbolize the elusive nature of truth or memory, as it darts in and out of the narrative, much like how memories can be fleeting and difficult to grasp fully. Additionally, the hare could be connected to themes of survival and adaptability, as it is an animal that must be quick and resourceful to survive.

In some interpretations, the hare may also represent the duality of fear and freedom. The characters' encounters with the hare could reflect their internal struggles with confronting their fears versus the desire to break free from them.

It's a creepy tale with almost gothic “Rebecca”-esque undertones about the claustrophobia of being stuck in a house with someone you resent and feel a growing animosity towards. It's about sexual repression and the transformative experience of all that pent up desire being released. And it's about the weight of history, the calamitous after-effects of war and how to reconcile what has been lost and displaced.