I'll Keep You Close

Jeska Verstegen

I'll Keep You Close
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Allen & Unwin
Country
Australia
Published
1 February 2022
Pages
176
ISBN
9781760526917

I’ll Keep You Close

Jeska Verstegen

Jeska doesn’t know why her mother keeps the curtains drawn so tightly every day. And what exactly is she trying to drown out when she floods the house with Mozart? What are they hiding from?   

When Jeska’s grandmother accidentally calls her by a stranger’s name, she seizes her first clue to uncovering her family’s past, and hopefully to all that’s gone unsaid. With the help of an old family photo album, her father’s encyclopedia collection and the unquestioning friendship of a stray cat, the silence begins to melt into frightening clarity: Jeska’s family survived a terror that they’ve worked hard to keep secret all her life. And somehow, it has both nothing and everything to do with her, all at once.    

A true story of navigating generational trauma as a child, I’ll Keep You Close is about what comes after disaster: how survivors move forward, what they bring with them when they do, and the promise of beginning again while always keeping the past close. 

Translated from the Dutch language by Bill Nagelkerke.

‘A quiet, child’s-eye look into the effects of intergenerational trauma, from a guileless, devastating poet. Beautiful and unforgettable.’ Alice Pung, award-winning author of Laurinda

Review

Based on a true story that occurred within the author’s immediate family, this is a story of how the experiences of the Holocaust affect the next generations, no matter how much the family tries to keep those experiences hidden.

Eleven-year-old Jeska is instructed by her mother to keep quiet, don’t make mistakes, and don’t do anything that will make anyone notice you. Her mother keeps the curtains closed, plays Mozart loudly when she wants to retreat and often refuses to answer the door. Jeska doesn’t understand why her mother is so different to other mothers until her grandmother calls her by the wrong name, a name she has never heard before. Jeska begins to investigate her family’s past, trying to piece together the clues on her own, with only the help of a stray cat and her inquisitive mind.

Beautifully written and utterly heartfelt, this story of intergenerational trauma translated from the Dutch stays with the reader for a long time. It would suit being studied in school as well as being enjoyed by readers who love historical novels such as The War that Saved My Life.

Written with simple yet eloquent prose, it is suitable for readers aged 9 and up.


Angela Crocombe is a senior book buyer at Readings.

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