Doctorul cel bun

Laurence Waters starts work at a hospital in the countryside. Parts of it stand deserted. He is young and full of plans. Frank Eloff, an older doctor who has lost hope, distrusts him. Their small town grows tense as strangers arrive. Faces from the past return, too.

Rumours link a former local dictator to smuggling across the border. Soldiers arrive to track him down. Their leader has ties to a dark part of Frank’s past. Frank sees little point in trying to change things. Laurence still sees chances to help. But events put his hopes at risk.

Damon Galgut’s novel looks at friendship and betrayal. It explores decay in the body and in the conscience. The story takes place in South Africa after apartheid. It weighs hopes for change against the past’s lasting claims. At its heart is the strain between two men. They hold opposing views of their work and world.

The novel was a Man Booker Prize finalist. Galgut later won the Booker Prize in 2021. This edition forms part of the Clasici contemporani series. Adriana Badescu translated it from The Good Doctor.