The Safekeep

How are both Eva’s and Isabel’s character arcs central to The Safekeep? In what ways are they foils to one another, and in what ways are they similar? What is the wider significance of these similarities and differences?

Compare and contrast The Safekeep to another work about the Holocaust and its aftermath, such as Primo Levi’s memoir The Truce. How does The Safekeep explore the idea of homecoming and identity in comparison to how Levi details his real-life experiences?

Isabel’s internalized anti-gay prejudice operates in conjunction with other forms of intolerance, including her xenophobic response to Sebastian, who originally comes from Algeria. How does van der Wouden relate Isabel’s intolerant attitudes to Dutch society more broadly?