The Promise is a book based on four deaths in a span of four decades. The book begins with Amor recalling how her aunt, Tannie Marina, came for her at school after Rachel passed on. Rachel is Amor’s mother and she has been battling illness for a long time. During the ailment, Rachel was nursed by a housemaid called Salome. Salome is a black woman who cares for Rachel until her demise. Before her death, Rachel tells her husband, Manie, to promise her whether he will give Salome the house located on the farm. Manie promises his wife that he will fulfill the promise. The conversation between the two is overheard by Amor.
The death of Rachel affects every family member negatively save for Tannie who blames her for getting back to the old religion of Judaism. Rachel converted to her original religion of Jewish a few months before her death. After the death of Rachel, wrangles started among family members. Amor accuses her father of failing to honor the promise which he made to her father. However, her father insists that he did not promise his wife anything. Manie dies ten years later after the death of his wife. However, he died before honoring his wife’s promise.
The promises indicated by the author in this book mirror the pledges of South Africa after the country gained independence in 1994. Most of the promises remain unfulfilled even after the election of four presidents. Salome is given the ownership of the house by Amor, who was very young when the promise was made. By the time she is being given the deed, Salome is very old. Correspondingly, the future of South Africa lies in the hands of the current generation whose parents fought for independence.
