Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our book club, hosted by Evelyn Levisohn! In our gathering, we will discuss Yael Van Der Wouden's book, The Safekeep.

WHEN: Thursday, 18th September 2025, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore; please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS:

Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge.

About the book: The Safekeep

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

About the author: Yael van der Wouden

Yael van der Wouden (born 1987) is a Dutch writer. Her first novel, The Safekeep, was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.

Our Host: Evelyn Levisohn
Evelyn loved creative writing and reading from a young age, despite not doing very well in high school English. Her early influences included Harry Potter & the Redwall series, then as a moody teen she spent a lot of time with Anne Rice’s vampires and in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Evelyn developed a love for Hunter S Thompson, Hemingway, and Kerouac, then at age nineteen she moved to London and in a dusty second hand bookshop in Finsbury Park discovered the diaries of Anais Nin and the work of Henry James. It was around then that journaling became a big part of her life, and she even started a book review blog back in 2008, for which the subheading was "Red-haired bibliophile of little eloquence rants feverishly about her recent reads". Throughout her twenties in London, she was never without a book, and attended many signings, Booker Prize readings, and author events.

Evelyn moved back to Sydney in 2013 and promptly had kids, going on a reading hiatus for around 8 years until last year when she picked up a copy of Fourth Wing and couldn't put it down. Nowadays she lives in North Bondi with her husband and three boys, works for an EdTech company and is a volunteer Ethics teacher at her kids' school. Somehow despite all this, she now makes the time to read books.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024.

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The Bondi Literary Salon endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction.

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some home made chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.

An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024.

'Surprising, chilling, and electric. The Safekeep is a simply fantastic work of literature.' - Alice Winn