Robyn Christofides

“The Promise” is a wonderful novel. It’s a family saga of the Afrikaans Schwartz family, the parents and their three children Anton, Astrid and Amor set in the dying days of Apartheid and its aftermath. The narrative unfolds from the multiple points of view of the family members and at its core is the story of a broken promise made by the father to his wife on her deathbed to gift a house on their rural property to Salome their dedicated black servant. The broken promise seems to haunt the family members and expose them to decades of tragedy. Beautifully written, the novel examines human behaviour in an honest, uncompromising and sometimes brutal way. It is an uncomfortable but compelling read. Highly recommended.