In a Strange Room - by Damon Galgut (Paperback)

About the Book

Previously published: London: Atlantic, 2010.

Book Synopsis

A Man Booker Prize finalist: "This tale of ill-fated journeys through Greece, Africa and India shows" the author of The Quarry "at a superb new high" (The Guardian).

In this newest novel from South African writer Damon Galgut, a young loner travels across eastern Africa, Europe, and India. Unsure what he's after, and reluctant to return home, he follows the paths of travelers he meets along the way. Each new encounter--with an enigmatic stranger, a group of careless backpackers, and a woman on the verge--leads him closer to confronting his own identity. Traversing the quiet of wilderness and the frenzy of border crossings, every new direction is tinged with surmounting mourning, as he is propelled toward a tragic conclusion.

Shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize, In a Strange Room is a hauntingly beautiful evocation of life on the road. It was first published in the Paris Review in three parts--"The Follower," "The Lover," and "The Guardian"--one of which was selected for a National Magazine Award and another for the O. Henry Prize.

Review Quotes

"This is a wise and brilliant book." --Times
"A beautiful book, strikingly conceived and hauntingly written, a writer's novel par excellence without a clumsy word in it." --The Guardian
"Galgut's powerful writing is honest and insightful, polished as it is to a marble-like perfection." --The Globe and Mail

"This is a wise and brilliant book." --"Times"
"A beautiful book, strikingly conceived and hauntingly written, a writer's novel par excellence without a clumsy word in it." --"The Guardian"
"Galgut's powerful writing is honest and insightful, polished as it is to a marble-like perfection." --"The Globe and Mail"