The Safe Keep by Yael van der Wouden

This is the only book I have read so far from the Booker's shortlist and it was outstanding. I had no idea about the haunting history of the Netherlands after the war. There is so much to learn and feel and grieve within this slim novel. The relationship between Isabel and Eva is extraordinarily portrayed and the twist, when it comes, is devastating. There is a pace to this book which matches both the character's journey's. And oh the passion. Incredibly well done. A must read.

From the back

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...

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.