Aug 22

Aug 22 The Promise

Author: Damon Galgut
Publisher: Europa Editions
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

Click above to buy this book from my Bookshop.org shop, which supports independent bookstores (not Amazon). You can also find it via your favorite indie bookstore here.

Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

A modern saga that could only have come from South Africa, written in gorgeous prose that could only come from the pen of literary giant and Booker Prize-shortlisted author, Damon Galgut.

The Promise is the story of the Swart family—theirs is a story of failed possibilities, much like the history of their country. Haunted by an unmet promise made to the family servant, the well-to-do Swarts lose touch after the death of their mother.

Reunited by three funerals over three decades, the dwindling family reflects the charged atmosphere of post-apartheid South Africa in a family drama that unfurls against the unrelenting march of national history.

TL;DR Review

I’m really glad I read The Promise, which brings South Africa from the end of Apartheid to the present day to life on the page, vividly and impressively. Damon Galgut is obviously a masterful writer.

For you if: You are interested in recent South African history, and/or just want a really great literary fiction read.

Full Review

I read The Promise for two reasons: first, on my good friend @bernie.lombardi’s recommendation, and second, because it was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize (as Bernie expected!). I’m glad I did; this is a good one.

The story takes place in South Africa over about 30 years, from almost the end of Apartheid to pretty much modern day. (Bernie sent some great links for short background reading on South Africa that were really helpful: here, here, and here.) It follows one dwindling white family, focusing on the four times they came together for funerals.

The narration is one of the things that really makes this novel stand out. Reading this book is probably the closest I’ve ever come to reading water. The narration flows and jumps from person to person without pause, sometimes mid-paragraph or even mid-sentence, sometimes landing on nobody at all but rather an omniscient voice. There are no section breaks for stretches of ~90 pages. But it’s not a drag; rather, it has a propulsive momentum. I found myself meaning to get up and turn on the light for like half an hour, having found no good moment to pause.

The novel is full of plenty of layers and metaphors; it’s one of those where the title has several different meanings, which I love. It examines patriotism amidst progress, race and power, and whether we applaud those who do the bare minimum. It brings South Africa at this period of history to life on the page in a visceral, unflinching way.

If you like literary historical fiction and family sagas, this one might be for you!