Super Short Summary

The Promise, written by Damon Galgut, traces the lives of the Swart family, a white family of Dutch descent, through the backdrop of South Africa's sociopolitical evolution post-apartheid. The novel's four parts chronicle the passing of key family members, revealing their internal conflicts, particularly around a broken promise to grant their Black maid, Salome, ownership of her home. The narrative unfolds with a wandering, fluid point of view reminiscent of early 20th-century literary modernism. This book contains issues related to systemic racism, death, and suicide.