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A review by bookishflaneur
The Promise by Damon Galgut
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Apartheid has fallen, see, we die right next to each other now, in intimate proximity. It's just the living part we still have to work out.”
"What happens in a room lingers there invisibly, all deeds, all words, always. Not seen, not heard, except by some, and even then imperfectly. In this very room both birth and death have taken place. Long ago, maybe, but the blood is still visible on certain days, when time wears thin."
The promise follows the members of a white family living in post apartheid South Africa through four funerals. The narration shifts fluidly and sometimes sharply between perspectives and characters, creating vignettes with clever transitions. The central issue which brings these family members into conflict is the frustration the younger generation, especially the youngest sibling Amor, have at the maltreatment of the Black woman that worked for the family before the death of Ma - who was promised and not given the rights to her own house.
Over time the members of the family grow apart. The children grow into young adults and change and develop in a myriad of new directions as they grapple with their identity, their wants and hopes. Amor faces conflict with her family over relationships, over where and how she chooses to work. Astrid and Anton also grow and harden a little due to conflicts in their own lives. There are sections of beautifully written prose which linger on different elements of the historical context, cuttingly critical of political and social context which always lies just underneath the communication and conflict of the characters.
"What happens in a room lingers there invisibly, all deeds, all words, always. Not seen, not heard, except by some, and even then imperfectly. In this very room both birth and death have taken place. Long ago, maybe, but the blood is still visible on certain days, when time wears thin."
The promise follows the members of a white family living in post apartheid South Africa through four funerals. The narration shifts fluidly and sometimes sharply between perspectives and characters, creating vignettes with clever transitions. The central issue which brings these family members into conflict is the frustration the younger generation, especially the youngest sibling Amor, have at the maltreatment of the Black woman that worked for the family before the death of Ma - who was promised and not given the rights to her own house.
Over time the members of the family grow apart. The children grow into young adults and change and develop in a myriad of new directions as they grapple with their identity, their wants and hopes. Amor faces conflict with her family over relationships, over where and how she chooses to work. Astrid and Anton also grow and harden a little due to conflicts in their own lives. There are sections of beautifully written prose which linger on different elements of the historical context, cuttingly critical of political and social context which always lies just underneath the communication and conflict of the characters.