Take a photo of a barcode or cover
womangenius 's review for:
The Safekeep
by Yael van der Wouden
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sweet enough queer romance. I'm not sure it hit all the emotional beats that made the relationship seem convincing, but it was fairly well done. Very much in the vein of Portrait of A Lady on Fire, with fairly similar themes, though I think that film is far superior to this novel. The matter of Jewish homes being seized and given to Dutch goyim and the subsequent issue of Jews returning after the war, only to be homeless, was fascinating, heartbreaking, not something I knew. I enjoyed that insight into a slice of Dutch and Jewish history and I suppose I liked the way it played into the twist, though I'm still not totally sure how I feel about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, War, Deportation
Minor: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail