A review by chiel
The Promise by Damon Galgut

reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I mean, I get it, how the story of this family is used as the story of South Africa in general, including the dismissiveness of black characters, the changing of time, the jumps between deaths and the jumps in its political landscape. It's all really clever and beautifully written. 
And I'll be honest, that's possibly my main gripe with this novel. It seems to have been written to be a Booker Prize winner, not the other way around. Multi Generational Drama: check. Stylistic choice of not using quotation marks: check. Backdrop of important event in history: check. All events being metaphors: check.
And because of that layer it sometimes feels the characters in this novel are almost caricatures of humans, without any real growth.

I didn't dislike the book, but it also didn't grip me in the slightest.  
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