When times are very, very bad, it is such a solace to have lots of books to retreat to and, yes, be buried by! As of July 1st, we are in a constitutional crisis in this country, and the majority of the Supreme Court, in their presidential immunity decision, has created it. I am reeling...
I was absolutely enchanted by my reading of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I wondered why I haven't read it sooner, but I'm so very glad that I read it NOW, while I'm feeling so much despair (about our country). Eleanor is the completely original, wonderful, enjoyable, heart-warming heroine of her own story. I had no idea! I can't think of a book I have thrilled to more in the past few years. And to think I bought it on a sheer whim, when it came up for sale for $1.99 as an ebook. Then I devoured it! What great memories I have of this book to carry me forward! So, yes, I am counting it as one of my Twenty Books of Summer.
The Safekeep by the Dutch author Yael Van Der Wouden (in translation), has received many mega-starred reviews. (To see the excerpts from reviews, click on the link and scroll down to "Reviews.") It was published in June. The wide-spread, though vaguely stated words of acclaim set me on to it. The novel is set in the Netherlands in 1961, and has been widely touted as an historical novel.
Now that I've read The Safekeep in its entirety, I would agree that it is indeed an historical novel, definitely. But the first half of the novel betrays no evidence whatsoever of that fact. This half of the novel depicts the lives of Isabel and her two brothers and Eva, her oldest brother's girlfriend. Isabel, as a young woman, lives alone (and lonely) in the family house in the east of the Netherlands after her mother's death. When Isabel's brother Louis decides that Eva should stay with Isabel while he is away for 6 weeks for a work project, everything turns on its head. Why does Eva want to stay there, when she knows Isabel dislikes her and is totally antagonistic? And on that note, ensues a huge drama that reaches back to the world of the Netherlands and the Dutch people, especially the Dutch people as a whole, in World War II.
The Safekeep deserves all the high praise that has been bestowed on it. I will say that for me, at times, it was an uncomfortable read, because of the relationship that evolves between Isabel and Eva, and the deeply unfortunate aftermath. It is so worthwhile--the language and the translation is flawless. I AM so glad that I read it, and I will always remember it, so I recommend it without reservation.
Another book that I've put on my Twenty Books of Summer List.
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