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A family, a promise, and a chance to tell a unique story. Winner of the 2021 Booker Prize, *The Promise *, by Damon Galgut, translated by Caetano Galindo, is an epic drama that unfolds at the relentless pace of South African history.
On a farm in Pretoria, South Africa, in the late 1980s, Rachel Swart, on her deathbed, asks her husband to promise to transfer ownership of the house to their maid, Salome. Their youngest daughter, Amor, testifies that her father assured his wife he would keep his promise.
Pretoria, 1995. Nelson Mandela is president of the country, and the Swart family is reunited once again, this time for the patriarch's funeral. Amor and her siblings are practically strangers. Haunted by an unfulfilled promise, they grew apart after their mother's death. Adrift, the three's lives unfold along the roads of South Africa. Anton is a brilliant young man, but resents everything he could have achieved; Astrid finds her greatest power in her beauty; the youngest, Amor, carries the guilt that her family failed to honor their mother's promise to Salome.
Spanning three decades and brought together by four funerals, the dwindling family reflects the atmosphere of their country – a mix of resentment, renewal and, above all, hope.
In addition to winning the 2021 Booker Prize, it was named book of the year by the Sunday Times , Guardian , Observer and Daily Telegraph .
From the blurb by Itamar Vieira Junior, author of Torto arado :
"Damon Galgut demonstrates a rare skill in presenting the characters' different points of view, interweaving them with the crucial issues of his country and thus taking us to the heart of a haunting story. Likewise, he offers the reader a dizzying experience, transforming this novel into a house traversed by furious characters. Upon finishing The Promise, we are left with the certainty that we are faced with a unique work. One of those that makes us realize that good literature can be a true gift."
“A tour de force ... A spectacular demonstration of how a novel can make us think differently.” – Booker Prize Judging Panel, 2021
"One of the best novels of the year. A book that answers the question 'What is a novel for?' with a simple 'For this.'" – The Times
“A masterpiece – one of the best books I’ve read in the last decade and certainly the best I’ve read this year.” – Elizabeth Day
“Splendid.” – Paula Hawkins
“A surprising number of novelists are very good; few are extraordinary. Damon Galgut belongs to the latter category. Praising the book for its particularities—for its seriousness; for its balance between formal freedom and elegance; for its humor, its precision, its human truth—seems inadequate and biased. Definitely: You need to read this book.” – Claire Messud
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