Debut author's post-Holocaust novel sparks nine-way bidding war

A debut author’s novel about desire and obsession between two women, which explores the legacy of the Holocaust, has sparked a frenzied publishing bidding war.

The UK rights to publish Yael van der Wouden’s “exhilarating” debut The Safekeep were acquired by Viking after a “fiercely contested” nine-way auction. In the US, ten publishers battled for the book, with Avid Reader emerging triumphant.

Viking’s editorial director, Isabel Wall, said The Safekeep was the most original novel she had read in a long time.

“I was so impressed by Yael van der Wouden’s ability to combine a gripping tale of desire and obsession between two women with a powerful examination of the legacy of the Holocaust and the darker parts of our collective past. I cannot wait to share it with readers.”

Ms van der Wouden is a writer and teacher, born in Israel but brought up in The Netherlands. She lives in Utrecht and lectures in creative writing and comparative literature.

“I’m incredibly excited that this book found a home with Isabel and Viking,” she said. “An absolute dream come true.”

Translation rights have already been sold in France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Romania, Holland and Norway.

Viking will publish The Safekeep in hardback, e-book and audio in summer 2024. The Safekeep is described by the publisher as “a tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge”.

Anne Frank WIKIMEDIA

Anne Frank (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Ms van der Wouden’s essay On (Not) Reading Anne Frank, received a notable mention in The Best American Essays 2018. In it, she describes moving from Israel to The Netherlands as a child and being nicknamed Anne Frank.

“I told a friend that I didn’t like it when kids called me Anne Frank, and she said, kindly enough, ‘It’s not like Anne Frank did anything wrong, right? So how is it an insult?’

“Her argument seemed solid enough. I couldn’t yet put into words what bothered me about it. Another time, after I found a swastika scratched into my locker at school, a different friend tried to comfort me. ‘I don’t get it,’ she said. ‘It’s not like you can help being Jewish’.”

The Safekeep is set in the rural Dutch province of Overijssel in 1961. Living alone in her late mother’s country home, the main character, Isabel’s life is led by routine and discipline.

Her life is changed forever when her brother Louis delivers his graceless new girlfriend, Eva, at Isabel’s doorstep as a guest, there to stay for the season.

Eva is Isabel’s antithesis: she sleeps late, wakes late, walks loudly through the house and touches things she shouldn’t. In response Isabel develops a fury-fuelled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house Isabel’s suspicions spiral out of control.

The events that follow are fuelled by paranoia and infatuation —“leading to a discovery that unravels all Isabel has ever known.”

Aspiring writers seeking to emulate her success might want to book a place at a workshop she is running in Berlin in February on writing erotic tension., which promises instructions on creating: “That moment in the story where it feels like something is just about to happen, and two characters stand infuriatingly close, and you’re on the sidelines shouting: kiss! Just kiss already!”

She adds: “What is it that creates that gorgeous tension, that enrages and engages and makes us turn the page? What elements allow us to believe a character’s desire? What tricks do authors use to make us feel eager, restless, perhaps even a little hot under the collar ourselves?”

One thing’s certain, she knows how to excite editors around the world.