Set against the backdrop of post-World War II Netherlands, the novel delves into personal and collective memory, inheritance, trauma, and loss. It follows Isabel as she navigates life in a memory-filled house she inherited after her mother’s passing. Her existence is intertwined with the objects and memories left behind in the house. As Isabel struggles to find her place in a world where everything familiar is slowly slipping away, the story highlights the tension between preservation and living.
The narrative opens with Isabel recalling the past during the war years and the family’s relocation to the east of the Netherlands. Isabel’s life is steeped in routine as she clings to the past through her obsessive care for the house and its belongings. The story unravels when her brother Louis leaves his new girlfriend, Eva, to stay with Isabel for the summer. Eva’s carefree and uninhibited nature contrasts with Isabel’s rigid lifestyle, which leads to increasing tension between the two women. Isabel becomes fixated on Eva, whose presence disturbs the careful order Isabel has maintained. This fixation gradually deepens into an obsession as household items mysteriously start to disappear. Isabel begins to question Eva’s motives and her own grasp on reality.
As the summer progresses, the lines between Isabel's resentment and desire for Eva blur. Their relationship is fraught with moments of tenderness and suspicion, which reflects Isabel's internal struggle with her repressed feelings and the haunting memories of her family. Eva returns to Amsterdam after an intense confrontation with Isabel. Eventually, Isabel struggles with the weight of her memories and guilt as she confronts Eva in Amsterdam. Eva is defensive, asking if Isabel came to call the police or to fight, but Isabel only seeks connection and redemption. The two women share a deeply emotional exchange where they reflect on their complicated relationship. Eva reveals her family's tragic history highlighting the lingering effects of the war and societal erasure.
The novel explores the long-lasting effects of World War II on a personal level. Isabel’s family, like many others, is fractured by the war. Her father’s death, her mother’s illness, and the family’s relocation all serve as backdrops to the emotional spectrum of the characters. The war’s impact is felt in the unspoken traumas and the physical objects that remain. Isabel’s refusal to let go of her mother’s belongings and memories traps her in a cycle of paranoia and obsession. The novel suggests that while memory is important, it can become a prison if not balanced with the ability to let go and live in the present. Isabel’s journey reflects the dangers of repression and the need for self-acceptance to break free from the past.
