Fiction

The Promise

The Promise

  • Downloads：6851
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-09 00:51:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Damon Galgut
  • ISBN：1784744069
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A masterpiece of a family in crisis from twice Booker-shortlisted author Damon Galgut

'Emotionally powerful and thrilling，' Gabriel Byrne

'A literary masterpiece' Sarah Hall

The Promise charts the crash and burn of a white South African family， living on a farm outside Pretoria。 The Swarts are gathering for Ma's funeral。 The younger generation， Anton and Amor， detest everything the family stand for -- not least the failed promise to the Black woman who has worked for them her whole life。 After years of service， Salome was promised her own house， her own land。。。 yet somehow， as each decade passes， that promise remains unfulfilled。

The narrator's eye shifts and blinks: moving fluidly between characters， flying into their dreams; deliciously lethal in its observation。 And as the country moves from old deep divisions to its new so-called fairer society， the lost promise of more than just one family hovers behind the novel's title。

In this story of a diminished family， sharp and tender emotional truths hit home。 Confident， deft and quietly powerful， The Promise is literary fiction at its finest。

'Gorgeous and pleasurable' Tessa Hadley

'The most important book of the last ten years' Edmund White

'Simply: you must read it' Claire Messud

Download

Reviews

Beth ，

Beginning wonderful。 Gets uglier and uglier。 Don’t。

Keith Bain ，

Exquisite。 Essential。

Waldimar Pelser ，

My book of the year， by far。

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer ，

For there is nothing unusual or remarkable about the Swart family， oh no， they resemble the family from the next farm and the one beyond that， just an ordinary bunch of white South Africans， and if you don’t believe it then listen to us speak。 We sound no different from other voices， we sounds the same and we tell the same stories， in an accent squashed underfoot， all the consonants decapitated and the vowels stove in。 Less “Four Wedding and A Funeral” than “Four Funerals and A Partheid” This For there is nothing unusual or remarkable about the Swart family， oh no， they resemble the family from the next farm and the one beyond that， just an ordinary bunch of white South Africans， and if you don’t believe it then listen to us speak。 We sound no different from other voices， we sounds the same and we tell the same stories， in an accent squashed underfoot， all the consonants decapitated and the vowels stove in。 Less “Four Wedding and A Funeral” than “Four Funerals and A Partheid” This book is the latest written by an author twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize （in 2003 and 2010）。It is effectively a family tale – the Swarts， a white and relatively privileged South African nuclear family of five who live on a farm near Pretoria。 Their story and the story of those around them。 The family is Amor - owner of the farm and later the main family business – a reptile park， over time he grows close to an ex Reformed Church Afrikaans ministerHis wife Rachel - who re-converts back to Judaism while she is dying of cancerAnd their three children: Anton - whose unplanned birth out of wedlock lead to a marriage Amor’s family considered a mistake – Anton kills a woman when conscripted to the South African Army and deserts before later marrying his childhood sweetheart Desiree who becomes increasingly involved with New Age and Yoga Practices and the leader of a nearby AshramAstrid - who converts to Catholicism， has twins and two unhappy marriagesAmor – something of the irreligious conscience of the family， spending her time nursing AIDS patients， refusing to take the family money or to stay in contact， and the only one who holds to the eponymous promise the dying Rachel extracted from Amor – to give the family’s black maid Salome the deeds to her home in the farmlandsThere are two very distinctive parts of the book’s execution:The first is its cyclical structure。 The story （which ranges over several decades） is told at discrete intervals in four sections all based around the funeral of a family member （the sections named after the family member that dies in turn as the nuclear group diminishes - less “Ten Green Bottles” than “Four White Racists”）。 Each section starts with the circumstances of the death （cancer， snake bite， murder and suicide）。 Each funeral coincides with an important point of South African history （the rugby world cup victory， Mbeki’s inauguration， Zuma’s resignation）。 Each has details on the dead body and the viewpoint of the person preparing it for burial。 Each features in detail the thoughts of the person carrying out the funeral （and the way their views clash largely with the beliefs of the remaining family members） and each has Amor’s latest attempt to realise the promise。The second is the narrative voice – a very deliberate and intrusive omniscient narrator which swoops from character to character （including some side characters such as a down and out and a criminal and even at one stage some jackals）， switches out of its default third person into first person even second person for the point of view character， sometimes addressing the reader directly and sometimes into a brief first person plural chorus。 I think the book will appeal to a lot of people and I would definitely recommend others to read it But I have to say it did not quite work for me – and simply felt too gimmicky。 The family is clearly meant as to represent South Africa and the book to serve as an analogy for the nation’s history but this felt overdone to me。 One clear example of this being the coincidental linking of the funerals to important events - at one stage a character comments that Manie has “died at a very inconvenient time” and as a reader we can only think that the opposite – that the fictional timing of the fictional death is very convenient for the move。 And when combined with the symbolic deaths （and their symbolic natures）， the need for understanding and reckoning （and dare I say truth and reconciliation） which arises from them， the examination of the decaying states of the bodies （standing for the nation） and so on – it all seems rather forced。 And no experienced novelist， even in possible irony， should have characters remarking on how things are like （or not like） a novel or have a character member trying but failing to write an autobiographically inspired novel。And while I can see people admiring the sheer bravura and dexterity of the narrative voice – I was struggling really to see what admirable it really achieved。 One of the effects for example was to have the voice call De Verwoerd “a great man” and the Pienarr/Mandela encounter that of a “beefy Boer and the old terrorist” and I have to say this got my back up a little。 And my negative reaction was further exacerbated by the lack of voice really given to Salome， the way her son Lukas is portrayed as angry and ungrateful and the way in which the first non-white character given a significant voice is a murderous car-jacker。 Those comments may not be fear but while I went to University in a different era to today’s world of trigger warnings and no-platforming and was not very politically active or aware – but the one area that did affect me politically was the boycott of firms connected to the reprehensible South African Apartheid regime and I am still （to use the phrase） triggered by white South Africans complaining about how their country is now racked with crime and in my personal reading consider no-platforming books written about white South Africans who prospered pre-Apartheid。 I say that to put my views into context。I also did not respond well to the “plague on all your houses” views of different religious belief。Overall as I said I can see people liking this book but my suggestion would instead be to move a little North and instead read Tsitsi Dangarembga’s trilogy “Nervous Conditions”， “The Book of Not” and “This Mournable Body”。My thanks to Vintage Chatto and Windus， Random House UK， for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more

John ，

"The Promise" also might be entitled "Four Funerals and No Wedding。"Each of the funerals pertain to one of the five members of a dysfunctional South African family， with the first taking place before apartheid ended and the other three at various points during the post-apartheid era。 The promise of the title is made by Pa to Ma， the first to die and the only of the four to die whose death is preceded by illness。 He promises her that the ramshackle house where the family's maid and her children l "The Promise" also might be entitled "Four Funerals and No Wedding。"Each of the funerals pertain to one of the five members of a dysfunctional South African family， with the first taking place before apartheid ended and the other three at various points during the post-apartheid era。 The promise of the title is made by Pa to Ma， the first to die and the only of the four to die whose death is preceded by illness。 He promises her that the ramshackle house where the family's maid and her children live will be given to her。The promise is quickly forgotten once Ma dies except by Amor， the youngest of the children， who was a quiet presence in the room when the promise was made。 Amor continues to insist that the promise should be kept， but with no support from any family members。The promise is a link in the story， but it's far from the whole story。 What "The Promise" really is about is how a family， shaky to begins with， continues to spiral further out of control in the wake of their matriarch's death。 Damon Galgut employs an unorthodox writing style that may not appeal to all readers。 Bursting past Strunk & White's "Elements of Style，" he uses frequent commas when periods would be appropriate。 He does so effectively， although I wouldn't recommend that aspiring writers try this at home。I love the way Galgut puts words together。He had me， or was starting to get me， with the first paragraph:The moment the metal box speaks her name， Amor knows it's happened。 She's been in a tense， headachy mood all day， almost like she had a warning in a dream but can't remember what it is。 Some sign or image， just under the surface。 Trouble down below。 Fire underground。"Headachy mood。" I totally get that。 And this， much later in the book， when Amor has been back home， going through her old room。She really did intend to go downstairs and cook a meal， but by the time she's finished cleaning up， the night is moving along and she has no appetite left。 Eaten too much childhood， thanks， I'm full。It's a dark， gloomy sort of a book and doesn't end in a particularly happy way。 Somehow， it feels triumphant， nonetheless。 。。。more

Adrian Dooley ，

This one wasn’t for me unfortunately。 I found the writing style and form of the book very jarring。 The book is in four sections with no chapters。 At times it’s hard to know who is supposed to be speaking， the narrative hops and jumps from person to person without any obvious queue to the reader， it became very confusing at times。 It’s the story of a South African white family set during apartheid and following them over a few decades。 I’m sure there were many metaphors and social commentary here This one wasn’t for me unfortunately。 I found the writing style and form of the book very jarring。 The book is in four sections with no chapters。 At times it’s hard to know who is supposed to be speaking， the narrative hops and jumps from person to person without any obvious queue to the reader， it became very confusing at times。 It’s the story of a South African white family set during apartheid and following them over a few decades。 I’m sure there were many metaphors and social commentary here but， the rambling narrative did nothing to keep my attention。 The story， a random and rambling tale that I couldn’t take to at all。 None of the characters were likeable or even memorable。 The whole spiel about “The Promise” made to the black housekeeper and being a central theme to the story is just in the background。 In fact the housekeeper barely features here at all。 As I said not for me。 Felt a hell of a lot longer than it’s 300 odd pages it was。 Thanks to the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more

Paromjit ，

Damon Galgut's examines the disintegration of the dysfunctional privileged white Swart family in South Africa， living on a farm outside Pretoria， over a period of over 3 decades。 The moral heart of the story， Amor Swart， overhears her dying mother， Rachel， cared for and nursed by her black maid， Salome， extract a promise from her father that Salome will be given her home。 In a narrative that revolves around 4 funerals， beginning with that of Rachel， who had reverted back to Judaism， that is taki Damon Galgut's examines the disintegration of the dysfunctional privileged white Swart family in South Africa， living on a farm outside Pretoria， over a period of over 3 decades。 The moral heart of the story， Amor Swart， overhears her dying mother， Rachel， cared for and nursed by her black maid， Salome， extract a promise from her father that Salome will be given her home。 In a narrative that revolves around 4 funerals， beginning with that of Rachel， who had reverted back to Judaism， that is taking place amidst the turbulence of the racist apartheid regime's state of emergency， the family， Manie， the father， the troubled son， Anton， and Astrid， the older sister of Amor， fail to fulfil the promise。 This promise is additionally an echo of the promise of the birth of the 'rainbow' nation， the truth and reconciliation commission， that has come to lie in tatters amidst the greed， corruption， warped ambitions and violence。The story jumps from character to character， inhabiting their thoughts and actions， at times like a stream of consciousness， Manie's bitterness at not being able to be buried next to Rachel， his estrangement from an Anton plagued by his killing of a black mother。 Anton goes on to desert from the army， an act that comes to be seen as heroic under President Nelson Mandela， undergoing difficult years of being destitute and in debt。 Astrid marries Dean， becoming a mother to twins， feeling herself suffocated。 Amor lives in London before returning for the funeral of a father that had come under unscrupulous and ambitious religious influences。 As Salome is once again left out in the cold， Amor decides to move to Durban and train as a nurse， something neither Astrid or Anton understand。 By the time the promise can be fulfilled， more than thirty years later， there are other threats to it being realised， and Lukas， Salome's son is less than grateful， viewing it as an empty gesture。Galgut depicts a family that has no close links with each other， Amor cannot stomach her morally bankrupt and lost family， squandering their opportunities and dreams， the marital infidelities， the humiliations， the drinking， and the self deceptions。 She refuses to benefit financially and makes no attempt to keep in touch。 Religion， including the New Age aspects， is portrayed as ambitious， hypocritical， overly judgemental， power hungry and sinning。 The fragile and tenuous connections between the family is reflected in the threads holding South Africa together， from the hope displayed at the Rugby World Cup， to the deep fractures， the rising crime， and the compromised integrity in the years that follow。 A powerful and engaging read that I think many readers will appreciate。 Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC。 。。。more

Katherine Govier ，

I'm saving the last few pages because I don't want it to end。 I just marvel at the way Galgut slides between characters and in and out of personnae。 Almost no-one to like in his country， I have to say， but it is very convincing the way he tells us。 I'm saving the last few pages because I don't want it to end。 I just marvel at the way Galgut slides between characters and in and out of personnae。 Almost no-one to like in his country， I have to say， but it is very convincing the way he tells us。 。。。more

Sarah ，

The Promise’ stretches from the 1980s to the present day and so covers some incredibly important decades in the history of South Africa。 And yet， whilst there is mention of Mandela， of truth and reconciliation， of government corruption， of power cuts and water shortages， at the heart of this novel is the Swart family。 Through his focus on them， Damon Galgut shows us just how the changing country affects or doesn’t affect their essential beliefs and concerns。 Despite becoming a ‘rainbow’ nation w The Promise’ stretches from the 1980s to the present day and so covers some incredibly important decades in the history of South Africa。 And yet， whilst there is mention of Mandela， of truth and reconciliation， of government corruption， of power cuts and water shortages， at the heart of this novel is the Swart family。 Through his focus on them， Damon Galgut shows us just how the changing country affects or doesn’t affect their essential beliefs and concerns。 Despite becoming a ‘rainbow’ nation where all are equal in theory， the Swarts are still looked after decade after decade by the ‘girl’ Salome who lives with her son， Lukas， in a very modest dwelling near the family’s farmhouse， and their old prejudiced ways are still very much alive。At the beginning of the novel， we learn that Salome is to be given her little house， in recognition of the fact that she has nursed Rachel Swart during her final days。 No one is keen to honour this promise other than youngest daughter， Amor， and decade after decade this weighs heavy on her。 Whilst Lukas suggests that she is only keen to follow through on this wish because， ‘It’s what you don’t need any more， what you don’t mind throwing away。 Your leftovers。’ the reader appreciates that unlike her father and siblings Anton and Astrid， Amor’s desire to honour the deathbed wish is authentic。One of the reasons why ‘The Promise’ is such a memorable read is the presence of an omniscient narrator who， from time to time， makes their existence felt through ironic asides， imperatives or rhetorical questions。 The effect is to draw us into the characters’ lives and ask us to imagine being part of this fractured society。 Implicitly Galgut asks， what would we do to survive？ Become ‘religious’; turn to alcohol; have affairs; wield power; run away？This is not an uplifting read。 Nonetheless， a promise is made and not everyone reneges on it。 Whilst the narrator mocks the rainstorm in the closing pages of the novels as ‘like some cheap redemptive symbol in a story， falling from a turbulent sky …onto tin shacks as impartially as it falls onto opulence’， ultimately there is a little hope。 A brilliantly written story that lives on long after the last page has been read。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK， Vintage for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more

Alistair Mackay ，

I’ve loved everything Galgut has written， and was anticipating this book with great excitement。 When I started it， I was a little disappointed。 It’s very different to his other work， especially in terms of narrative style。 This is not his classic first or close third narrative; it’s a kind of swooping， organic， almost drunken narrative that switches POV constantly， many times per page， from character to character and even up to an omniscient， sometimes ironic， sometimes quite funny narrator， and I’ve loved everything Galgut has written， and was anticipating this book with great excitement。 When I started it， I was a little disappointed。 It’s very different to his other work， especially in terms of narrative style。 This is not his classic first or close third narrative; it’s a kind of swooping， organic， almost drunken narrative that switches POV constantly， many times per page， from character to character and even up to an omniscient， sometimes ironic， sometimes quite funny narrator， and even addresses the reader sometimes。 It’s disorientating at first， but stick it out， it becomes a kind of South African chorus。 The voices of a fragmented and instantly familiar society。 Told in four parts over four decades from the 1980s state of emergency until today， each section of the book centres on the death of one of the members of the Swart family， who own a farm on the outskirts of Pretoria。 When Ma dies， early on， she makes her husband promise he’ll give the land that that the maid Salome lives on to Salome - and this is the promise that carries through the book。 It’s sweeping in timescale and scope， covering South Africa’s transition and early decades of democracy， race relations， faith and mortality， the land question， and what happens to a family when its members are unable to speak to each other。 It’s unlike Galgut’s other novels but it’s just as good。 。。。more

Steven Volk ，

Remarkably interesting novel of one family told through their gatherings over some decades for funerals。 Excellent insight into pre- and post-apartheid South Africa; rich characterization。

Kat ，

A beautifully written book about a promise made， a family and much more it captured me from the start。 I do have to admit I did struggle at times as the story became a bit wordy for me and it was a lot slower pace than I would normally read thrillers being my usual genre but this book was a real change for me。 It was a very character driven read and I think this was made the book do good it was so well crafted and I loved the character Amor especially。 So as a I say a very different read and one A beautifully written book about a promise made， a family and much more it captured me from the start。 I do have to admit I did struggle at times as the story became a bit wordy for me and it was a lot slower pace than I would normally read thrillers being my usual genre but this book was a real change for me。 It was a very character driven read and I think this was made the book do good it was so well crafted and I loved the character Amor especially。 So as a I say a very different read and one I liked a lot， the descriptive passages were so well crafted and interesting it was a book I probably would not have normally read but as I was sent a widget I gave it a go and I’m so glad I did。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK， Vintage， Chatto and Windus for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more

Kate Southey ，

I dream of being able to write like this！ The beauty of The Promise isn’t so much as in the plot as it is in its narrative。 Weaving and winding through time and space， from character to character with constant changes of narrative voice。 One minute first person， the next our omniscient narrator is offering us casual asides and rhetorical questions。 It is as unsettling as it is a natural and organic a literary dichotomy。 The characterisation is fascinating to me， on one hand the author is sparing I dream of being able to write like this！ The beauty of The Promise isn’t so much as in the plot as it is in its narrative。 Weaving and winding through time and space， from character to character with constant changes of narrative voice。 One minute first person， the next our omniscient narrator is offering us casual asides and rhetorical questions。 It is as unsettling as it is a natural and organic a literary dichotomy。 The characterisation is fascinating to me， on one hand the author is sparing with the information allowing us the to meet the characters as we would meet anyone we come across in our everyday lives。 You don’t have a persons back story or a monologue of their internal thought processes outside of books and you have to choose to like or dislike， or have empathy for someone on limited information and so it is for us as we first meet Amor， Astrid and Anton。 On the other hand， the characters are so real and richly imagined in Galgut’s mind that they feel utterly real and fully three dimensional。I began this review by saying that the beauty of the novel isn’t so much in the plot as it is in the writing and for me， that is true but it doesn’t mean the plot is weak or the subject matter poorly handled。 There was no way to anticipate what would happen next and more than once I exclaimed out loud in surprise at something that happened。 I was a teenager when Mandela was freed。 I remember the benefit concert for him and those photos of him smiling， fist triumphantly punching the air as he approached the worlds media。 But for me apartheid was a brief stop in a school history book and not something that I’ve since thought about since the birth of ‘new’ South Africa。 Imagine then how the Ruby World Cup scenes punched me between the eyes。 Amor and her family hadn’t been able to cheer their country on in any sporting contests because of the sanctions imposed by the rest of the International Olympic Committee， and Football and Rugby federations。 For me， this simple thing resonated so powerfully， more so than learning about trade embargoes had ever done。 My own white privilege being what it is， Salome being unable to own her own property hit me in the brain only。 That a country be excluded from international sporting competitions hit me hard， squarely in the ‘feels’， and gave me a chance to check in my privilege at the door and start to get real about what was taken from black South Africans by the white invaders。 I laughed， I cried and I cursed at life’s cruelties。 This is a belter of a novel。 。。。more

Roman Clodia ，

It isn't much， she says。 I know that。 Three rooms and a broken roof。 On a tough piece of land。 Yes。 But for the first time， it'll belong to your mother。 Her name on the title deed。 Not my family's。 That isn't nothing。Yes， Salome agrees， speaking Setswana。 It isn't nothing。It is nothing， Lukas says。 Smiling again， in that cold， furious way。 It's what you don't need any more， it's what you don't mind throwing away。 Your leftovers。 That's what you're giving my mother， thirty years too late。 As g It isn't much， she says。 I know that。 Three rooms and a broken roof。 On a tough piece of land。 Yes。 But for the first time， it'll belong to your mother。 Her name on the title deed。 Not my family's。 That isn't nothing。Yes， Salome agrees， speaking Setswana。 It isn't nothing。It is nothing， Lukas says。 Smiling again， in that cold， furious way。 It's what you don't need any more， it's what you don't mind throwing away。 Your leftovers。 That's what you're giving my mother， thirty years too late。 As good as nothing。After a strong start， I struggled with this book both in terms of the material of the story and the style。 It's always a hard ask to try to encapsulate the deeply problematic history of a country， here South Africa， via a single family which is what is being done here: the white， Afrikaner Swart family and their long-term relationship with their Black servant， Salome。 Inevitably， the story dips in and out and across time， the first two sections built around two funerals ten years apart。 There are what initially look like generational differences as the children of the family appear to have a different relationship to Salome， her son Lukas， and to the eponymous， and failed， promise to give her a home of her own - but， by the end， as indicated in the quotation above， there are questions about Amor's well-intentioned but freighted act of patronage。 In between all the good stuff， though， is just lots of filler and it's not always easy to navigate through the story。 The narrative stance is a kind of personalised omniscience that moves around， sometimes observing the scene， sometimes told from within the head or consciousness of the characters。 Again， I found it hard， at times， to know whose judgement or point of view was being articulated。 In an early scene， for example， the narrative voice describes 'the set of three [stamps] commemorating Dr Verwoerd， issued a few months after the great man's murder' - and it's not clear whether it's the character who deems the architect of apartheid 'a great man' or whether this is the omniscient narrative voice speaking with irony， or even both。 At another point， the narrative voice states， 'she dislikes her whole body， as many of you do' - again， who's that 'you'？ Us as readers？ White South Africans？ Adolescent girls， as this is related to Amor who is about to experience her first period？ It made the book feel baggy to me and I wanted more precision and tautness。 The only other thing I'd say is that it's hard to say something new when reviewing South African history in these sweeping terms， especially， for me， when Nadine Gordimer has made the topic so much her own。 If this book had spent more time on the current issues in post-apartheid South Africa it might have carved out more targeted and particular space for itself。 The combination of fuzzy writing style and returning to a sweeping history done before didn't really work for me。Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more

Richard Nelson ，

A little bit Atonement， a little bit Howard’s End， but ultimately something completely new。 Galgut has woven one family’s story with all of South Africa’s。 The result is haunting and beautiful。

Neil ，

This is the story of the Swart family。 It is also a story about South Africa。 It is fair to say it is a sad story。As the novel begins， we are with Amor Swart when she learns about her mother’s death。 The family gathers at the farm and Amor overhears a promise being made。 We very quickly learn that this is not a happy family。What follows is a family saga broken into several sections each named for a member of the family。 Each section is set some time after its predecessor and we also drop in on s This is the story of the Swart family。 It is also a story about South Africa。 It is fair to say it is a sad story。As the novel begins， we are with Amor Swart when she learns about her mother’s death。 The family gathers at the farm and Amor overhears a promise being made。 We very quickly learn that this is not a happy family。What follows is a family saga broken into several sections each named for a member of the family。 Each section is set some time after its predecessor and we also drop in on significant moments in South African history from the 1980s and into the 21st century （e。g。 apartheid， Nelson Mandela ， Thabo Mbeki）。 Both family and country struggle to hold things together and it is often difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel for either。You should not read this book looking for an uplifting experience。Except。 Except for the narrative voice which somehow manages to take a dark story of a sad family and a struggling country and make it fascinatingly readable。 Here， the reviewers turn to Woolf and Joyce for their comparisons。 Perhaps especially to Woolf。 Galgut employs what is probably best referred to as a “floating narrator” and reading the book has a feel of a viewpoint that moves around， and in and out of， different characters。 The voice switches from third person to second or first in mid-sentence or mid-paragraph， as though the narrator has turned to the reader or has temporarily entered the thoughts of the subject。 The narrative thread latches on to a topic and follows it until it re-joins the main story （at one point a character looks out of a window and sees jackals and the narrative floats over to these jackals and follows them until they pass a house where it leaves the animals and joins the people in the house）。As I say， this is not a happy book。 Several people do not make it to the last page and we spend time at a number of funerals as well as with characters living unhappy lives。 We also see a rainbow nation with a crumbling infrastructure that still has a lot of problems to deal with。 But， despite its dark contents， if， like me， you respond well to the narrative voice， this might just turn out be one of your favourite books of the year。https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。https://harpers。org/archive/2021/04/n。。。My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley。 。。。more

Jill ，

Damon Galgut is genetically incapable of writing a bad book and he prove it once again with a novel that fully delivers on its promises – entitled， fittingly enough， The Promise。At the core of the novel is a promise overheard by the Swart family’s third and youngest child， Amor， the conscience of a morally corrupt family。 At age six， Amor was struck by lightning and lost one of her toes and she exudes a morality that is lost on the others。 All she knows is that her dying mother promised Salome， Damon Galgut is genetically incapable of writing a bad book and he prove it once again with a novel that fully delivers on its promises – entitled， fittingly enough， The Promise。At the core of the novel is a promise overheard by the Swart family’s third and youngest child， Amor， the conscience of a morally corrupt family。 At age six， Amor was struck by lightning and lost one of her toes and she exudes a morality that is lost on the others。 All she knows is that her dying mother promised Salome， the family’s Black maid， the cabin in which she and has lived in for many years。 Of course， under apartheid， Salome cannot possibly legally own the cabin—but this， in Amor’s young eyes， is only a minor impediment to fulfilling her mother’s wishes。Her older brother and sister， Anton and Astrid， have wasted their potential。 Physically beautiful， there is rot within each of them as they strive to find contentment and some meaning in life。 Both fail miserably。 Their father is under the sway of a dominee （also called a pastoor） who wields his power to convince the father to provide land for his church。With wry and dark humor， Damon Galgut skewers the hypocrisy of religion—whether it’s the born-again Jewish mother， the oath-breaking Catholic priest， the pastoor and his manipulations， and the “new age” guru who councils Astrid。 About the priest hilariously named Timothy Batty: “…seldom does he feel less fallible than when he stands up here among a grieving thong， the master of God’s ceremonies”The promise is of course also metaphorical for the promise made and broken to the nation of South Africa， and the tragedy of apartheid。 Its characters flirt with existential and physical threats and still cannot quite do the right thing。 As a result， promising lives are guttered and a Black family becomes ultimately resigned to promises not fulfilled。 Damon Galgut is always confidently in control of his story， which will likely be one of my Ten Favorite Books of the Year。 A huge thanks to Europa Editions for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Stephanie Crowe ，

A powerful but tragic tale of a South African family whose lives are greatly affected by the death of its members。

Murray Batt ，

Hard to top the very positive NYorker review， but one can stress how well the family’s fate and the changes in the politics of the country go hand in hand。 Each of the Swarts are so very different， and there are also morally compromised theologians and yoga enthusiasts。 The most hackneyed description for a character is of the carjacker; Amor may be a little too good， but her character works for the book。

Denyce ，

"。。。we are the rainbow nation， which is to say it's a mixed and motley and mongrel assembly in the church today， restive and ill at ease like antagonistic elements in the periodic table"。So plays out the saga of the Swart family against this backdrop of the rainbow nation。 It begins with the funeral of Ma， who has died from cancer， but the undercurrents of family strife are apparent as she has decided to revert to Judaism， causing a rift in an already uncomfortable family scenario。 We are introd "。。。we are the rainbow nation， which is to say it's a mixed and motley and mongrel assembly in the church today， restive and ill at ease like antagonistic elements in the periodic table"。So plays out the saga of the Swart family against this backdrop of the rainbow nation。 It begins with the funeral of Ma， who has died from cancer， but the undercurrents of family strife are apparent as she has decided to revert to Judaism， causing a rift in an already uncomfortable family scenario。 We are introduced to Ma's husband and children and close relatives， gathering together at the family farm。 Galgut cleverly weaves together all their situations and personalities， providing a backdrop for the novel as their lives play out。 Amor， the youngest daughter and the first character to be introduced to us， was struck by lightning as a younger child。 She is determined that the black woman who works for the family be given the house that has been promised to her， but is disappointed time and time again by members of her family that fail to keep the promise。Anton， the only son， is a troubled young man， having gone awol from the army after shooting a black woman during his national service。 He lives a hard life， returning to the farm in his later years， perceived as difficult and strange。We follow the family from the death of Ma， then Pa， followed by Astrid and Anton， over a period of years。Religion is a recurring theme throughout the novel， from the Jewish mother， the Dutch Reformed snake charming father and the converted Catholic daughter Astrid。 As South Africa undergoes change， so does the fortune and woes of the family。 It is a slow deterioration; there is very little happiness or celebration。 When middle aged Amor eventually arrives at the farm to finally fulfil the promise to Salome， even this is difficult and complex。 Having grown up in South Africa， I was able to make connections to the language （ kotch being a word for vomit！） as well as being able to relate to the customs， and the racial tensions， which made it very interesting to read。。 The slow disintegration of the family and how it relates to their place in South Africa is deftly dealt with and it is a beautifully written， even though it is an unhappy novel。 The characterisation is brilliantly done， even though most of the characters are not very likeable。With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Vis Chetty ，

A quiet return to form by Mr Galgut。 The characters stay with you long after you’ve closed the book。 Haunting， tragic and undeniably beautifully written。 Brilliant！

Victoria ，

Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for providing this ARC。 On the whole， this book didn’t live up to my expectations。 It started strong and pulled me in， but the heroine I was hoping for never materialized and all of the characters were unsympathetic tragedies to me。 Very good writing and imagery and a unique narrative style。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Promise

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Promise&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Promise&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0