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December 19, 2025
Yael van der Wouden : ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy cured my fear of aliens’
The Safekeep author on her secret childhood reading, falling in love with Elizabeth Strout and why she keeps coming back to Zadie Smith
TL;DR
- Early reading memory involved a children's encyclopedia and a secret book of dirty jokes at age eight.
- Thea Beckman's novels, particularly 'Hasse Simonsdochter', were influential during the author's teenage years in the Netherlands.
- 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' helped overcome a fear of aliens through humor.
- Nathan Englander's 'The Ministry of Special Cases' changed her mind about cosmetic surgery.
- Jonathan Safran Foer's 'Everything Is Illuminated' inspired her to become a writer.
- Alan Hollinghurst's 'The Line of Beauty' was initially critiqued but later appreciated for its depth and desire.
- Zadie Smith's essay collection 'Changing My Mind' is a frequent reread, offering different insights depending on her state of mind as a reader or writer.
- James Baldwin's 'Giovanni's Room' was a profoundly devastating read that she cannot revisit.
- Elizabeth Strout's 'My Name Is Lucy Barton' led to falling in love with both the book and her girlfriend.
- Currently reading Zadie Smith's latest essay collection, 'Dead and Alive'.
- Jane Austen is a go-to comfort read.
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