by Damon Galgut
First published 2010
Damon embarks on his first journey through Greece, carrying little more than restless energy and undefined longing. He moves through India and Africa on subsequent trips, collecting roles that others assign him. Fellow travelers see him as the Follower when he trails behind an enigmatic stranger. He becomes the Lover in encounters that promise intimacy but deliver disappointment. Others cast him as the Guardian when he tries to protect a woman teetering on the brink of collapse and a group of reckless backpackers who ignore obvious dangers. Each journey spirals toward catastrophe despite his efforts to forge genuine connections. The three expeditions form a pattern of seeking and losing, of reaching toward others only to watch relationships crumble. Damon searches for love and belonging across continents, but finds himself repeatedly isolated by circumstances beyond his control.
Genres: literary-fiction, travel, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Greece, India, Africa
Period: 21st-century
192 pages · Paperback · Emblem Editions