The Promise Novel

The Promise

Winner of the Booker Prize: “This tour-de-force unleashes a searing portrait of a damaged family and a troubled country in need of healing.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review 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 “A rich story of family, history, and grief.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Timely, relevant, and thematically significant.” —Booklist, starred review “Galgut is wonderfully, Woolfianly adept.” —James Wood, The New Yorker “In comparison [to Coetzee], Galgut is a gleeful satirist, mordantly skewering his characters’ fecklessness and hypocrisy.” —Rand Richards Cooper, The New York Times Book Review “Riveting . . . Galgut’s most ambitious novel to date.” —New York Review of Books “An exceptional book, beautifully written with characters you come to care deeply about.” —BBC “The Promise is close to a folk tale or the retelling of a myth about fate and loss . . . The story has an astonishing sense of depth, as though the characters were imagined over time, with slow tender care.” —Colm Tóibín, New York Times–bestselling author of Brooklyn

The Promise

The Promise

THE WORLD'S FAVOURITE AUTHOR ONE BILLION COPIES SOLD They promised never to say goodbye . . . For Michael and Nancy, the carefree days of innocence were drawing to an end, bringing the hardest test of their love for each other. He was the handsome heir to the mighty Hillyard business empire. She was just twenty-one, beautiful - and an orphan from nowhere. One fateful day after graduation, they sealed a bond for years to come - a vow of love that would have to prove itself in the face of terrible tragedy, doubt and despair . . . The novelisation of the 1979 film The Promise from one of the best-loved writers of all time. Perfect for fans of Penny Vincenzi, Lucinda Riley and Maeve Binchy PRAISE FOR DANIELLE STEEL: 'Emotional and gripping . . . I was left in no doubt as to the reasons behind Steel's multi-million sales around the world' DAILY MAIL 'Danielle Steel is undeniably an expert' NEW YORK TIMES