• The Promise

  • By: Damon Galgut
  • Narrated by: Peter Noble
  • Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (605 ratings)

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The Promise  By  cover art

The Promise

By: Damon Galgut
Narrated by: Peter Noble
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Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

A modern family saga written in gorgeous prose by three-time Booker Prize-shortlisted author Damon Galgut.

Haunted by an unmet promise, the Swart family loses touch after the death of their matriarch. Adrift, the lives of the three siblings move separately through the uncharted waters of South Africa; Anton, the golden boy who bitterly resents his life’s unfulfilled potential; Astrid, whose beauty is her power; and the youngest, Amor, whose life is shaped by a nebulous feeling of guilt.

Reunited by four funerals over three decades, the dwindling family reflects the atmosphere of its country - one of resentment, renewal, and, ultimately, hope. The Promise is an epic drama that unfurls against the unrelenting march of national history, sure to please current fans and attract many new ones.

“Simply: you must read it.” (Claire Messud, Harper’s Magazine)

©2021 Damon Galgut (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Galgut extends his extraordinary corpus with a rich story of family, history, and grief.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“This tour-de-force unleashes a searing portrait of a damaged family and a troubled country in need of healing.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Galgut’s compelling new novel blends characters and history and intricate themes to reveal the devastating impacts of white privilege and institutional racism.... The Promise is timely, relevant, and thematically significant.” (Booklist, starred review)

What listeners say about The Promise

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A story that I undrrstand

Story was of a past that is long gone. And best remembered with melancholy of past sins with occasional blessings.

The narrator did not do justice to the story. A pity.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • CB
  • 01-31-23

Fantastic Story

Worthy of the Booker! Thank you Damon for a great story and fresh insight into apartheid.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Extraordinary

Rich novel with one of the best narrations I’ve ever heard. Much more political context than just a family saga. So intriguing and insightful.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent writing

Faultless writing, almost faultless performance (I hate it when men do a woman’s voice as falsetto). Highly recommended. One quibble: I think the ending is both too predictable and too unlikely. But I can see why it had to be that. It works in the structure of the story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful

This descent into nothingness from a South African family around the apartheid is brilliantly portrayed.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Just Fine

I wanted to love this book, but it was just ok. It got me through a long road-trip, but that is the only reason I finished. I would have put it down if I had been reading.
Amazing narration!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible!!

A book with a deceptively simple story that actually provides perspectives on so many aspects of life, both personal and societal, in South Africa and anywhere. A book that will stay with me forever. Genius. Pure genius.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Depressing but meaningful

Learning the demise of a family in what is the demise of a country is an exquisitely wrought story about a very depressing occurrence. Ultimately a promise is kept even though the multiple promises are not. I didn’t love the experience of listening to the book but I found it worthwhile.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating

The author’s descriptions bring every character to life. I could visualize each of the their faces, and the performer captured the personality of each.
The plot presented surprise after surprise and kept my constant undivided attention.
Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Promises delivered

Galgut is heading into Coetzee territory . His language is pared down and bone dry ( save for the bodily fluids which aren’t for the precious ). The prose is as delineated as the landscape
I await his next book

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2 people found this helpful