Yael van der Wouden is a writer and teacher based in The Netherlands. Her essay on Dutch identity and Jewishness, ‘On (Not) Reading Anne Frank’, received a notable mention in The Best American Essays 2018. Her writing has appeared in places such as The Sun, LitHub, Electric Literature, and The Offing. THE SAFEKEEP, her debut novel, was longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.

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Forgiven

By YAEL VAN DER WOUDEN

A few years after the war, a Jewish lady moved in between the Kistjes and the Gelders. None of us remember her very clearly, but the words used in conversation still itch.