Pretorian-born Damon Galgut first came to the notice of British readers in 2003 with The Good Doctor, a dark, disturbing tale of a run-down hospital in the post-Apartheid homelands. It was shortlisted for a sheaf of prizes, including the Booker. His long-awaited new novel, The Impostor, deserves to replicate that success.

Set against the harsh, arid landscape of the veld, it’s as humanitarian and deeply troubling as The Good Doctor, with an intense, claustrophobic atmosphere that racks up the suspense. The Dostoevskian narrative about individual moral choices delivers startling glimpses of the corruption and social injustice burrowing their way through the