The Safekeep

There was so much I liked about The Safekeep, but believability is such a huge thing to me, and ultimately, that is where I found myself distancing myself from this novel. Setting up a story in a world that is the same as the one I live in, without any explanations for deviations, means I expect certain things. And I know this is my own flaw. When I was an MFA student, workshopping my own fiction, there was a scene I wrote that several of my fellow students got stuck on: This would never happen, they said. It's not believable. But that scene was semi-autobiographical, and what they were saying could never happen had actually happened exactly like that. Of course, in that setting, I wasn't allowed to correct them or tell them differently. Perhaps that is the same kind of scenario at play here; nevertheless, I find myself in disbelief.

There was much that I especially enjoyed. The atmosphere is great. It's easy to get lost in this place and to see these scenes play out before your eyes. The suspense is really good, however, those looking for SUSPENSE will be disappointed. This is a subtle, literary story that creates an air of tension. There is not going to be a huge unexpected twist that involves the clone in the attic. And lastly, the writing was sharp and the characters were really well drawn (though to be clear, I found their actions to be sometimes unbelievable).

I won't go into much detail about what I found unbelievable as I think it has the potential to spoil the story for some. And it's not so much that the characters got to the places they did, but the fact that it happened in a single sentence. Does that kind of flash development happen in real life? Yes. Does it happen under the conditions that the story presents (considering the history of those involved, mental health, personalities, present circumstances, etc.)? I really, truly doubt it. So much so that I found myself angry and frustrated with the absurdity of it. I admit, I could myself be that student now, saying “this would never happen” while the author says nothing. Thirteen years from now I imagine she may shake her head, remembering my comment, thinking how truly ignorant other people can be.