In a Strange Room
In a Strange Room is a 2010 novel by South African writer Damon Galgut. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2010, as well as for the Ondaatje Prize.
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| Author | Damon Galgut |
|---|---|
| Country | South Africa |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Atlantic Books |
Publication date | April 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | 978-1848873223 (hardback edition) |
Plot synopsis
The novel is divided into three sections, namely "The Follower", "The Lover" and "The Guardian". It concerns Damon, a South African writer who is infected by wanderlust as he goes backpacking abroad and meet different people. In "The Follower", Damon meets a German backpacker named Reiner in Greece, and becomes his travelling companion. Subsequently, in "The Lover", he follows a Frenchman and two Swiss fraternal twins—a man and a woman—travelling through Africa. In both Damon is aware of a homoerotic feeling which binds him to Reiner and Jerome, one of the twins. The final section takes place in India, where he is minding a female friend Anna with severe psychiatric illness and who is threatening suicide.