Returning to South Africa, and to the family farm, yanks her back into the past. She has kept in motion for many years, moving from one place to the next. He has not spoken to him in nine years.Īmor has also been removed from the family since Rachel's passing. When Anton hears the news, he decides it is time to make amends with Manie. He therefore trusted Alwyn when he encouraged him to descend into a cage of poisonous snakes and trust God to protect him.

Manie has had a close relationship with the local minister, Alwyn Simmers, for many years. In 'Pa,' nearly 10 years after Rachel's death, Astrid calls Anton to tell him that Manie is in a coma. Amor does not understand, but also does not forget the promise. Salome is a black woman, and therefore cannot be the legal recipient of the deed. When they hear her account, they all scoff. Her father, Manie, promised Rachel that he would formally give their housekeeper, Salome, the house where she has been living for years.Īmor later tells Manie, her siblings Anton and Astrid, and her extended family members about the promise. Suddenly she remembers a conversation she overheard between her parents a few weeks prior. She sits on a nearby hill to think about what has happened. Desperate for space from her family's dramas and tensions, Amor flees the family house. Though Rachel has been sick for some time, Amor cannot process the news. In 'Ma,' Amor Swart is 13 years old when her mother, Rachel, dies.

The following summary adheres to a largely linear mode of explanation. The novel is written from a third person free indirect point of view and employs the present tense. The narrative begins in 1986, and traces roughly 30 years in the lives of the Swart family. Europa Editions, 2021.ĭamon Galgut's novel The Promise is set in South Africa. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Galgut, Damon.

The promise galgut novel