by Damon Galgut
First published 2022
Rachel Swart lies dying when she makes a promise to Salome, the Black woman who has worked for her family for years. The pledge seems simple enough, but Rachel's death leaves the commitment unfulfilled. Her three children carry this burden in different ways. Anton, the favored son, tries to maintain his golden status while avoiding responsibility. Astrid uses her striking looks to navigate the world but cannot escape the family's failure. Amor, the youngest, feels the weight of guilt most heavily as the broken promise shapes her entire life. Four funerals bring the Swart siblings together over three decades, each gathering smaller than the last. The promise to Salome remains unmet, a wound that refuses to heal. As South Africa itself transforms around them, the Swarts discover that some failures echo across generations, binding families to their choices in ways they never expected.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, african-literature, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: South Africa
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
269 pages · Paperback · Europa Editions
Content warnings: racism, sexism