Viking wins nine-way auction for van der Wouden’s ‘exhilarating’ debut novel 

Viking has won The Safekeep, an “exhilarating” debut novel by Yael van der Wouden, in a nine-way auction. 

Isabel Wall, editorial director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Karolina Sutton at CAA on behalf of Anna Stein, following a “fiercely contested” nine-way auction. US rights sold to Lauren Wein at Avid Reader, in a 10-way auction.

Translation rights by Claire Nozieres have 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".

Its synopsis reads: “It’s 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is well and truly over. Living alone in her late mother’s country home, Isabel’s life is as it should be: led by routine and discipline. But all is upended 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—a spoon, a knife, a bowl—Isabel’s suspicions spiral out of control. 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.”

Wall said: “The Safekeep is the most original and exhilarating novel I have 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.”

Yael van der Wouden is a writer and teacher. Her essay on Dutch identity and Jewishness, "On (Not) Reading Anne Frank", has received a notable mention in The Best American Essays 2018. She is originally from Tel Aviv, though she currently resides in the Netherlands, where she lectures in creative writing and comparative literature.  

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