The Safekeep

Fifteen years after WWII, Isabel lives a disciplined, solitary life in her late mother’s country home—until her brother arrives with his disruptive new girlfriend, Eva. In a sweltering summer, control slips and tensions erupt, leading to a shocking revelation that could unravel everything Isabel has ever known. A gripping tale of desire, revenge, and the unexpected consequences of obsession.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN’S PRIZE 2025

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2025

LONGLISTED FOR THE WINGATE PRIZE 2025

An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge – for readers of Patricia Highsmith, Sarah Waters and Ian McEwan’s Atonement.

It is fifteen years after the Second World War, and Isabel has built herself a solitary life of discipline and strict routine in her late mother’s country home, with not a fork or a word out of place. 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…

In the sweltering heat of summer, Isabel’s desperate need for control reaches boiling point. What happens between the two women leads to a revelation which threatens to unravel all she has ever known.