Book Club words surrounded by books (Tamala Malerk)
Please join UMGC Europe Book Club on August 26, 2025, at noon via Zoom for our first novel of the 2025-2026 Reading Season!
Like a meticulously cross-stitched tablecloth or finely painted Delft porcelain, “The Safekeep” by Yael van der Wouden is both delicate and shockingly beautiful. Van der Wouden begins with the closeness of a Dutch family and their home, but soon reveals how in this domestic space, with all its corners, secrets, and burials, dwells the larger expanse of Dutch history. In her telling, 1960s Amsterdam emerges as a surprising site for reckoning with the horrors of the first half of the 20th century.
“The novel’s noticeably minimal style and controlled detonation won it praise, being shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and winning the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction. ”
— Jessica Stock
“The Safekeep” of the title is the home of Isabel, who counts and hoards everything within its walls. Of course, she is not safe; she is haunted. The novel vaults between genres, allowing the two main characters to be depicted with complexity and care, and the reader has the pleasure of wondering what exactly is happening in that house. Part romance, historical fiction and detective story, Isabel becomes enamoured of her new house guest, Eva, who arrives as the bachelor brother’s latest girlfriend, but remains in the home for reasons of her own. Eva, aptly named after the Old Testament’s originary woman, moves about the house with an uncanny knowing of its layout and contents.
The book opens with Isabel’s discovery of a broken piece of porcelain buried in the backyard. Fueling her paranoia, the shard becomes a talisman for betrayal and repression. Isabel obsessively carries the porcelain fragment wherever she goes, even to a restaurant to meet Eva for the first time. The porcelain is a metaphor for multiple things in the novel with a fascinating connection to history. From the Dutch East India Company’s importation from China to its depiction in Vermeer paintings and its presence in upper-class homes across the Netherlands, porcelain is a clue to understanding stories both personal and historical.
Intrigued? Then, please join us to discuss this wonderful and surprising book!
Everyone is welcome to join the UMGC Europe Book Club, no need to be a student or faculty member! We have been building a community that values empathy and literary exploration since July 2020. Our mission is simple: to read literature and create a reliable and safe community of readers. Whether you’re an avid reader or just looking to connect with fellow book enthusiasts, our club offers inclusive meaningful discussions.
For more information, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/umgceuropebookclub or email bookclub-europe@umgc.edu with questions about membership or upcoming events.
Teenage girl listening to music while reading book in bedroom (moodboard (123RF))
Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense.
