"Galgut will be seen as one of the great literary triumphs of South Africa's transition... in every way the equal of J. M. Coetzee"--Rian Malan, author of My Traitor's HeartA modern saga that could only have come from South Africa, written in gorgeous prose that could only come from the pen of literary giant and Booker Prize-shortlisted author, Damon Galgut.The Promise is the story of the Swart family--theirs is a story of failed possibilities, much like the history of their country. Haunted by an unmet promise made to the family servant, the well-to-do Swarts lose touch after the death of their mother.Reunited by four funerals over three decades, the dwindling family reflects the charged atmosphere of post-apartheid South Africa in a family drama that unfurls against the unrelenting march of national history.