The Safekeep

 

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Fiction

2024

Finished on June 28, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2024)

National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction (2024)

Women's Prize for Fiction (2025)

Publisher's Blurb:

An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.

A house is a precious thing...

It is 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is truly over. Living alone 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. In the sweltering peak of summer, Isabel’s paranoia gives way to infatuation—leading to a discovery that unravels all Isabel has ever known. The war might not be well and truly over after all, and neither Eva—nor the house in which they live—are what they seem.

Mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and infused with intrigue, atmosphere, and sex, The Safekeep is a brilliantly plotted and provocative debut novel you won’t soon forget.

I finished this debut novel late last night and am glad I hadn't given up on it. The Safekeep is a quiet and unique tale, nothing like any novel I've read about post-World War II. The writing is lovely, but it was slow to draw me in, possibly due to the frenetic pacing of the book I read prior to this one. 

Isabel and Eva are complex, nuanced characters, both lost and broken in their individual lives, ultimately finding comfort with one another. It's a moving story of self-discovery and love, and yet the explicit revelation of Isabel's sexual awakening felt unnecessarily excessive, leaving nothing to the imagination. It didn't help to move the narrative forward, but rather became a distraction. The final chapters, however, rewarded me with an ultimately moving, and hopeful, conclusion. I look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

Recommend.

A Family Matter

 

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch

Fiction

2025

Finished on 3/25/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A young wife following her heart. A husband with the law on his side. Their daughter, caught in the middle. Forty years later, a family secret changes everything.

1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter.

2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He’s an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child—the person around whom his life has revolved—seems impossible. Heron can’t tell her about his diagnosis, just as he can’t reveal all the other secrets he’s been keeping from her for so many years.

A Family Matter is an exploration of love and loss, intimacy and injustice, custody and care, and whether it is possible to heal from the wounds of the past in the changed world of today.

Last year there was a lot of buzz about A Family Matter, so I ordered a copy, eager to give it a try. As usual, I went in cold, knowing nothing about this debut work. Told in alternating timelines, and with a relatively short list of characters, Claire Lynch's spare novel was easy to get into. If one allowed, it could easily be read in one sitting.

I felt sympathetic toward Heron (nicknamed by his brother who couldn't pronounce Henry as a child), Dawn, and Maggie. Each carries the pain of the past. Dawn, at the young age of twenty-three comes to the realization that she has fallen in love with someone other than her husband. Heron, Dawn's husband, seeks legal advice for a divorce and chooses to fight for full custody of his daughter. Maggie, Dawn and Heron's three-year-old daughter, is never told why her mother had to leave her until forty years later when she herself is married and a mother of two. Such a sad tale. 

When my husband and I were living in San Diego, we got to know a woman with whom I worked with at a biotech company. She introduced us to her "roommate" and over the months, as we became closer friends, they finally came out to us. We weren't shocked, and of course it really didn't matter to us, we were just sad that it took so long for them to trust us. What upset me even more was that they had to hide their relationship, and live many miles from where one of them worked as an elementary school teacher, fearful that a student or student's parent would see them in public, perhaps holding hands or displaying some sort of physical affection. While neither of them had been married, or had children, the risk of losing a teaching job was certainly a possibility. This was 1990. Twenty-five years before same-sex marriage was legalized nationally.

From the author's note:

In the 1980s in the United Kingdom, around 90 percent of lesbian mothers involved in divorce cases like Dawn and Heron's lost legal custody of their children. Exact numbers are almost impossible to trace since most, knowing the outcome, chose not to go to court. 

While homophobia still exists, we have seen improvements in society over the past forty years. Celebrities, sports figures, and politicians are no longer forced to hide their personal lives from public view. We've since lost touch with our teacher friend in San Diego, but I hope if she's still teaching, she's doing it openly as a gay woman.  

I enjoyed this quiet story, but would have been just as happy to borrow the book from the library rather than use my Christmas gift card toward its purchase. It's not one that I'll read again, but I am happy I read it. It gave me a lot to think about, and would make a good choice for a book club discussion. Readers of Claire Keegan's novels (Small Things Like These and Foster) will enjoy Lynch's thought-provoking debut. 

Update: I've been thinking a lot about this novel since drafting this blog post, and I've decided it's one that I want to keep to re-read in the future. In a word, powerful.

Tin Man

 

Tin Man by Sarah Winman

Fiction

2017

Finished on June 10, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good!)

Publisher's Blurb:

This is almost a love story. But it's not as simple as that.

Ellis and Michael are twelve-year-old boys when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day this closest of friendships grows into something more.

Many years later, Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question: What happened in the years between?

By the internationally bestselling author Sarah Winman, Tin Man is an unforgettable and heartbreaking novel celebrating love in all its forms, and all the little moments and small kindnesses that make up a life.

I finished this beautiful novel a couple of weeks ago, but we've been traveling, and I am just sitting down to compose my review. 

Sarah Winman writes the most gorgeous prose, and while the storyline is a little confusing, I loved Tin Man. It's a tender story about friendship, love, heartache and grief. Much like her most recent work (Still Life), Winman's characters are memorable and well-drawn. This moving novel avoids cliche, and will enchant fans of John Boyne, particularly those who read and enjoyed The Hearts Invisible Furies. Sarah Winman has become a favorite author, and I intend to read more of her books. 

"Plan to read it twice: first for the story, then to savor the beauty of the poetic symbolism threaded throughout the sparsely crafted prose." - Shelf Awareness

Highly recommend.

In Memoriam

 

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Fiction

2023

Finished on December 13, 2024

Rating: 5/5 (Excellent)

Publisher's Blurb:

It’s 1914, and World War I is ceaselessly churning through thousands of young men on both sides of the fight. The violence of the front feels far away to Henry Gaunt, Sidney Ellwood and the rest of their classmates, safely ensconced in their idyllic boarding school in the English countryside. News of the heroic deaths of their friends only makes the war more exciting.

Gaunt, half German, is busy fighting his own private battle–an all-consuming infatuation with his best friend, the glamorous, charming Ellwood–without a clue that Ellwood is pining for him in return. When Gaunt’s family asks him to enlist to forestall the anti-German sentiment they face, Gaunt does so immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings for Ellwood. To Gaunt’s horror, Ellwood rushes to join him at the front, and the rest of their classmates soon follow. Now death surrounds them in all its grim reality, often inches away, and no one knows who will be next.

An epic tale of both the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.

Impressive debut! I've read numerous books about World War II, but only a few set during the Great War. In Memoriam took my breath away, and I'm astonished that this gorgeous novel is the work of such a young author; she writes with the skill of a seasoned novelist.

“Don't be ridiculous. It (gas) was outlawed at the Hague Convention," I said.

I actually said that. I actually believed that the principles of our civilisation, our civilisation that has developed further than any other in the history of the world, giving us telephones and trains and flying, for God's sake, we can fly. I thought, surely such a civilisation, that prides itself on conquering the beast in man and seeks only to bend towards beauty and prosperity, surely, surely, surely, it would not shatter in such a vile and disgusting way. 

The Hague Convention sought to make war more humane. We had reached a point in history where we believed it was possible to make war humane.”

As I read Winn's war saga, I was reminded of John Boyne's tale of two soldiers in his remarkable novel, The Absolutist. Both stories examine not only the horrific effects of war on young men (many still in their early teens), but also of forbidden love during a period in history in which a soldier could not only be court-marshalled, but possibly executed for an illicit affair with another man. In addition to the budding romance between Gaunt and Ellwood, Winn draws her readers into the trenches at the front lines (including Loos and the Battle of the Somme, the latter of which was one of the bloodiest battles of the war), at times so brutally graphic that I'm sure I would turn my head if viewing the scenes on the big screen. And yet, the violence isn't gratuitous, and I came to care for all the boys, heartbroken with each new posting of death in The Preshutian Roll of Honour.

"Over the top, you cowardly bastards!” I cried, my voice breaking, because I did not want to do it, I didn’t, Elly, I knew those men, but what other choice had I? They were stupid with fear, and only more fear would move them.

and

It was dusk, on a Friday. The battered skeletons of trees tapered against the fresh starlight in No Man's Land. The sky offered curious glimpses of beauty, from time to time. The men wrote about it in their letters, describing sunsets in painstaking detail to their families, as if there was nothing to see at the front but crimson clouds and dusted rays of golden light.

With great tension, superb dialogue, and an unpredictable finale, Alice Winn has crafted an outstanding work of historical fiction that held me enthralled from beginning to end. My only disappointment is that there is no backlist of earlier novels to add to my TBR list. This is an author to watch for! 

I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend!

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle

 

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

Fiction

2021

Narrated by Simon Vance

Finished on July 10, 2024

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Albert Entwistle is a private man with a quiet, simple life. He lives alone with his cat Gracie. And he’s a postman. At least he was a postman until, three months before his sixty-fifth birthday, he receives a letter from the Royal Mail thanking him for decades of service and stating he is being forced into retirement.

At once, Albert’s sole connection with his world unravels. Every day as a mail carrier, he would make his way through the streets of his small English town, delivering letters and parcels and returning greetings with a quick wave and a “how do?” Without the work that fills his days, what will be the point? He has no friends, family, or hobbies—just a past he never speaks of, and a lost love that fills him with regret.

And so, rather than continue his lonely existence, Albert forms a brave plan to start truly living. It’s finally time to be honest about who he is. To seek the happiness he’s always denied himself. And to find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he loved and lost—but has never forgotten. As he does, something extraordinary happens. Albert finds unlikely allies, new friends, and proves it’s never too late to live, to hope, and to love.

Fans of A Man Called Ove, The Guncle, and Meredith, Alone will enjoy this sweet, touching story of self-discovery, friendship, and community. The novel's main theme of being a gay teenager when it wasn't acceptable (and when it was also illegal) is enlightening, and is also presented in the audiobook's bonus material in which the author interviews several men who experienced discrimination as gays in the 1950-1970s. The details of Albert and George's budding romance are handled tastefully, and Albert is an endearing character whom I was cheering on from the very start. His self-acceptance and growth are admirable and heartwarming. There were moments when I was certain I knew how one or two scenarios would play out, and I was pleasantly surprised that my suspicions were incorrect.

I've listened to several books narrated by Simon Vance and he is an absolute perfect reader for this book. Each character is distinguishable from the others, and Vance's ability to switch between male and female characters is remarkable.

Highly recommend. 

I received a complimentary copy from Libro.fm. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Still Life

 

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Fiction - Historical

2021

Finished on April 29, 2024

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A captivating, bighearted, richly tapestried story of people brought together by love, war, art, flood, and the ghost of E. M. Forster, by the celebrated author of Tin Man.

Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs sink villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian intent on salvaging paintings from the ruins. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amidst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and paint a course of events that will shape Ulysses’s life for the next four decades.

Returning home to London, Ulysses reimmerses himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parot—a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics—all the while carrying with him his Italian evocations. So, when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt he must return to the Tuscan hills.

With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.

Marvelous! I'm so glad I didn't give up on this outstanding novel. The first fifty pages didn't grab me, but after that, I was hooked. The touching relationships between a small group of friends prove that family is more than that in which we are born. I loved each and every one, including Claude, the parrot!

It took me a little over two weeks to read, but if we weren't traveling, I could have read it in a few short days, it was that engrossing. And yet, I found myself putting it down every dozen or so pages, willing myself to make it last. 456 pages and I wanted more!

On Art:

We like beauty, don't we? Something good on the eye cheers us. Does something to us on a cellular level, makes us feel alive and enriched. Beautiful art opens our eyes to the beauty of the world, Ulysses. It repositions our sight and judgment. Captures forever that which is fleeting. A meager stain in the corridors of history, that’s all we are. A little mark of scuff. One hundred and fifty years ago Napoleon breathed the same air as we do now. The battalion of time marches on. Art versus humanity is not the question, Ulysses. One doesn’t exist without the other. Art is the antidote. Is that enough to make it important? Well, yes, I think it is.

On Love:

What are we without love? 

Waiting, said Evelyn.

Humor:

Do I look as tipsy as I feel?

No point asking me, dear, said Dotty, I’ve been talking to two of you for the last hour.

I was captivated by Sarah Winman's beautiful prose, details of Italy (specifically Florence), and snappy dialogue, greedily adding her earlier works to my list of future purchases. I remember hearing good things about Tin Man, but never got around to buying it. If it's half as good as Still Life, I know I'll love it! This is one I hugged to my chest as I finished the final page, and I'll happily read a second time. Sure to appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction, Renaissance art, Italy, and love...

Highly recommend!

Note: I rarely write my own synopsis of the books I review, instead relying on the publisher's blurb for those who wish to learn more about the plot and characters. The one above is spoiler-free, so I encourage you to give it a read. 

A parade of small stories, intimate connections and complex characters... Sentence after sentence, character by character, Still Life becomes poetry. ~ The New York Times Book Review

The House in the Cerulean Sea

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Fiction

2020 Macmillan Audio

Narrated by Daniel Henning

Finished on 5/27/2023    

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is another book that I've seen mentioned all over the blogosphere, Goodreads and Instagram. I decided to give the audiobook a try and enjoyed it pretty well, despite the storyline's predictability. I would have bet big money that Steve Rowley (author of The Guncle) was the narrator for the audiobook, but it's actually Daniel Henning. His sense of humor and sarcastic tone sound very much like that of Rowley's. The writing (particularly the humorous dialogue) also reminds me of Kevin Wilson's in Nothing To See Here.

I'm not sure if Klune's book lives up to all the hype, but it's entertaining and I enjoyed listening during my daily walks. The story is filled with numerous (and not-too-subtle) messages and life lessons about prejudice, intolerance, etc., which I feel was a little heavy-handed. Finally, there is some controversy about Klune's inspiration for the book, but I don't care to dive into that here. Feel free to click here and here for more on that issue.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Teen Fiction
2012 Simon and Schuster
Finished on April 16, 2015
Rating: 4.75/5 (Outstanding!)





American Book Award Winner
Pen/Faulkner Award Winner
Stonewall Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Michael L. Printz Award Nominee
Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children’s/Young Adult
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (ALAN/NCTE) Nominee
Pura Belpre Award for Narrative


Publisher’s Blurb:

Dante can swim. Ari can’t. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari’s features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other—and the power of their friendship—can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.

It’s been over six months since I read this Young Adult book and I still find myself thinking about the story and characters. Benjamin Alire Saenz’s lyrical prose pulled me in from the opening pages and I was sorry to see the book come to an end. I’ve read a lot of coming-of-age novels, but this is the first that I’ve read that explores homosexual love, and Saenz handles the topic with honesty and tenderness. Saenz not only addresses themes such as sexuality, love, and family, but also hate crimes and Mexican-American identity. Set in El Paso, the dialogue between Dante and Ari, as well as that of their parents, is spot on.

Final Thoughts:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a thought-provoking and beautiful book about friendship, family, loyalty and love. I think this book will appeal to fans of The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor & Park, and I plan to buy a copy to read again and share with my granddaughter. I loved this book. Highly recommend!

Go here to read more about this book on NPR.