A story of love, survival and hope in the darkest of times. 

‘Astonishing’ Jojo Moyes

‘Powerful’ Maggie O’Farrell

‘Remarkable’ Observer

‘Beautiful’ Max Porter

Set in South Africa and based on two shocking true stories, You Will Be Safe Here is a story of hidden histories, contemporary secrets and, ultimately, the power of love.

The heart-wrenching debut novel from the award-winning author of Maggie & Me, and presenter of BBC Scotland's Big Scottish Book Club, Damian Barr.

Scroll down for questions and thought-starters for your virtual book club... 

Willem stands out from his peer group. How does the author depict this? What sets him apart as an outsider? How does the author make Willem ‘live’ for you?

‘Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another’ – NELSON MANDELA, inauguration speech, Pretoria, 1994

How has the history and culture of South Africa affected the treatment of minority groups there? By writing this book, do you think the author is trying to raise awareness that these issues are not confined to South Africa? Can you think of any other examples?

‘Researching and writing my novel has taken me to some really dark places. It is when you are in these dark places that you can see: there is always hope, there is always love’ – DAMIAN BARR

Do you think that a case could be made for blaming the history and culture of South Africa for the persecution both Willem and Geldenhuys have experienced in their short lives?

‘As we looked back the roof sighed and after just a few more yards it fell in, blowing the door and windows open. For a moment, the gingham curtains I made billowed as if to wave us off. Our books flew up into the air, stories taking wing’

Rayna and Sarah live decades apart, but their stories are intertwined here. In what ways are their experiences of womanhood similar? How do they react to the men around them?

‘Above all this the stars shine. Willem pauses for a moment and feels the world turn as he struggles to pick out the Southern Cross among the interstellar static, He's never seen a sky so big or so bright. It's dizzying and he spins slowly to take it all in...’

How different do you think Willem’s story would have been if it were set in the UK rather than South Africa? Is it possible to separate the characters from the society they live in?

‘In the water, in the dark. It doesn’t matter whose fingers find whose toes. Nobody can see. The stars are saying nothing’

What parallels are there between the British camps at the start of the twentieth century and the camp that Willem finds himself in a century later? What do you think the author was trying to communicate by drawing these parallels?

“There is strangely little to do now but wait” – Sarah

How much do you think Willem’s mother and stepfather knew about the camp they were sending him to? Do you think they would have still sent him if they had known what really went on there?

“They wouldn’t understand, they never understand” – Willem

How important is fiction as a tool for understanding the past?