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In a Strange Room

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In a Strange Room

By: Damon Galgut
Narrated by: Damon Galgut
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010.

A young man takes three journeys, through Greece, India and Africa. He travels lightly, simply. To those who travel with him and those whom he meets on the way - including a handsome, enigmatic stranger, a group of careless backpackers and a woman on the edge - he is the Follower, the Lover and the Guardian. Yet, despite the man's best intentions, each journey ends in disaster. Together, these three journeys will change his whole life.

A novel of longing and thwarted desire, rage and compassion, In a Strange Room is the hauntingly beautiful evocation of one man's search for love, and a place to call home.

Damon Galgut was born in Pretoria in 1963. He wrote his first novel, A Sinless Season, when he was 17. His other books include Small Circle of Beings, The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs, The Quarry, The Good Doctor, and The Impostor. The Good Doctor was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Dublin/IMPAC Award. The Imposter was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. He lives in Cape Town.

©2010 Damon Galgut (P)2010 Atlantic Books Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Africa

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Critic reviews

"Superb... With this new book Galgut has struck out in a new direction and taken his writing to a whole other level. It is a quite astonishing work." (William Skidelsky, Observer)
"Truly superlative... Extraordinarily readable... Galgut displays his wonderful sense of place, but also profoundly explores intimate relationships between people... A very beautiful book, strikingly conceived and hauntingly written, a writer's novel par excellence without a clumsy word in it." (Jan Morris, Guardian)
"Galgut is an outstanding writer: his prose is acute, beautiful, unsettling. I have rarely felt so moved whilst reading." (Sarah Hall, The Times)
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I have never read any books by this author and was intrigued by the sample. I'm often quite disappointed with my experiments but these travel stories about strange people in difficult situations really caught my interest and I finished the book in 3 days.
The characters are fascinating, flawed and human, set against a backdrop of places that are very foreign to me. It's very unromantic, cold but also full of emotion, ugly and beautiful.

Intriguing and Fascinating

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I have always enjoyed Damon Galgut's books and been particularly proud of him as a fellow South African (and we have a family connection as my father, who was a judge, knew his). This book was particularly enjoyable with him as narrator. I always think the author reading his or her own work is a bonus, as they know exactly where to place emphasis or expression, being so familiar with the characters and the mood. This was no exception. The three linked stories didn't necessarily tie together well, but that really didn't matter at all. The switch between the first and third person gave a sense of heightened emotion, but also disconnection with the experiences he encountered on his travels. I found the third one about Anna and India the most moving, as his frustrations yet sympathy with mental illness came across as very honest. Galgut has an unusual style of writing and I found it drew me in quite unexpectedly. I am not sure I would have felt quite the same had I read the book rather than listened, so am glad I chose an audio version.

Beautifully narrated by this talented author

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…from Damon Galgut. He takes a blank canvas and paints a story which could reflect anyone’s life as a traveler, then he overlays the backdrop with friendships and hardships

Another winner…

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This book explores the desire, pressure and joys of travel - interfaced with self-exploration and a set of relationships with other travelers, random acquaintances and close friends. Traversing a number of settings in Africa - Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania - and others in India, the reflective author explores friendship, love, loneliness, interfacing with experiences of corruption, power, terror, and anxiety. Nicely written and narrated with some beautifully written passages and insights, at times unsettling. Recommended.

Psychotravelogue...

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I've listened to this over and over. Always a joy to listen to, and having the authors voice makes it even more moving. Wonderful.

Elegant and Agile Storytelling

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