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The Impostor

Author of the 2021 Booker Prize-winning novel THE PROMISE
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( 1,329 ratings, 190 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Impostor by Damon Galgut is a compelling exploration of identity and morality set against the backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa. The story follows Adam, a disillusioned man who retreats to a rural village after losing his job and marriage. As he reconnects with an enigmatic old acquaintance, Adam is drawn into complex schemes that test his sense of self and integrity.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate complex narratives that explore themes of identity, betrayal, and moral ambiguity. Set against the vivid backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa, the story delves into the tensions between the past and present, making it an engaging read for those who enjoy reflective and atmospheric fiction.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A gripping, claustrophobic novel of guilty secrets, obsession and self-reinvention on the African Savannah from the twice Man Booker-shortlisted author.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE PROMISE

Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book

When Adam moves into an abandoned house on the dusty edge of town, he is hoping to recover from the loss of his job and his home in the city. But when he meets Canning—a shadowy figure from his childhood—and Canning's enigmatic and beautiful wife, a sinister new chapter in his life begins. Canning has inherited a vast fortune and built for himself a giant folly in the veld, a magical place of fantasy and dreams that seduces Adam and transforms him absolutely, violently—and perhaps forever.

Damon Galgut's magnificent novel, The Impostor, evokes a hot and cruel and claustrophobic world, in which sex and death are never far from the surface.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Impostor by Damon Galgut masterfully explores themes of identity and deception in post-apartheid South Africa. Reviewers praise Galgut’s atmospheric writing and the psychological depth of the narrative. The novel captures a sense of dislocation and moral ambiguity, with some readers appreciating its layered, introspective approach to complex social issues.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838958886

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 August 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Atlantic Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 223g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Damon Galgut was born in Pretoria in 1963. He wrote his first novel, A Sinless Season, when he was seventeen. His other books include Small Circle of Beings, The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs, The Quarry, The Good Doctor, The Impostor and In A Strange Room. The Good Doctor was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Dublin/IMPAC Award, The Impostor was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and In a Strange Room was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. In 2021 The Promise won the Booker Prize. He lives in Cape Town.

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