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The Testament of Gideon Mack [Paperback]

James Robertson (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 Jun 2006

The Testament of Gideon Mack is James Robertson's acclaimed novel exploring faith and belief.

For Gideon Mack, faithless minister, unfaithful husband and troubled soul, the existence of God, let alone the Devil, is no more credible than that of ghosts or fairies. Until the day he falls into a gorge and is rescued by someone who might just be Satan himself.

Mack's testament - a compelling blend of memoir, legend, history, and, quite probably, madness - recounts one man's emotional crisis, disappearance, resurrection and death. It also transports you into an utterly mesmerising exploration of the very nature of belief.

'Fascinating, extraordinary, strange, rich' Sunday Telegraph

'Overwhelmingly compassionate and thought-provoking. Demands another read' Irvine Welsh, Guardian

'Hugely enjoyable, very funny, deeply refreshing . . . its touch of devilry makes it even more of a joy' Herald

'Fabulous . . . a work of the highest literary quality' Scotland on Sunday

'Astonishingly accomplished, utterly compelling from start to finish . . . could well be the best novel published anywhere this year' Big Issue

'James Robertson is a brilliant novelist. It's a long time since I read a novel in which the contemporary notions of faith and belief were so frankly tested' Ali Smith

James Robertson is the author of the novels The Fanatic, Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack, And the Land Lay Still and The Professor of Truth. The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, picked by Richard and Judy's Book Club, and shortlisted for the Saltire Book of the Year award, and And the Land Lay Still was the winner of the Saltire Book of the Year Award 2010.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd; Open market ed edition (1 Jun 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0241143578
  • ISBN-13: 978-0241143575
  • Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.2 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,097,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

Overwhelmingly compassionate and thought-provoking . . . In the hands of great writers the unlikeliest stories are generally the most rewarding (Irvine Welsh The Guardian )

Robertson is a true descendant of James Hogg – this is a superb piece of Scottish Gothic (The Times )

A rich novel of ideas about faith, Scotland and the ways in which fictions shape our lives (Sunday Telegraph )

Artful and lyrical . . . you are under the influence of a master storyteller . . . this book promises to become a Scottish masterpiece (Sunday Herald ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

James Robertson is the author of two previous novels, The Fanatic (2000) and Joseph Knight (2003). The latter was awarded the two major Scottish literary awards in 2003/4 – the Saltire Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year. He has also published stories, poetry, anthologies and essays. In 2006 he was selected for a prestigious Creative Scotland award and was also nominated for a Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland award. The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Saltire Book of the Year award. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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First Sentence
When I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: yet I was already, in so many ways, the man I would become. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
75 of 79 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An outstandingly good book 6 Feb 2007
By MisterHobgoblin TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an outstandingly good book - with the pun fully intended.

The novel takes the form of a manuscript written by fallen Church of Scotland priest, Gideon Mack, before his death on Ben Alder. The manuscript is topped by an introduction from the publisher and tailed by some notes by a freelance journalist.

It is clear from the beginning that Gideon Mack has fallen into the Keldo Water, met the devil and fallen out with the Church. The manuscript forms his life story, setting out his relationships with his family and his friends; how he came to be a Minister in the first place; his non-relationship with God; and his encounter with the Devil. For a Minister, Gideon Mack is a live wire - he doesn't believe in God; he runs marathons; he has difficult personal relationships; and he appears to enjoy the company of eccentrics and atheists. Gideon Mack is a fallible human being whose calling is little more than a job of work - but one that he is prepared to undertake with gusto despite his lack of belief.

Gideon has had his fair share of misfortune - a severe father who was also a Minister, a marriage to Jenny when he really wanted Jenny's friend Elsie, widowed at a young age and lacking real direction. But he has apparently soldiered on and, but for a momentary lapse with Elsie, has led a broadly virtuous life. Then weird things start happening - kicked off by the sudden appearance of a standing stone in the woods. As Gideon becomes more troubled by the stone, so his life starts to crumble. It all moves inexorably towards the meeting with the Devil, who is not at all as one might expect.

The detailing is beautiful and, even though the direction is hardly a mystery, the journey towards the known destination is compelling. It lifts beautifully from the page and the occasional use of publisher's footnotes and excerpts from other sources creates a complex web of truth. The relationships between Gideon and the world are complex and thoroughly explored. The end notes add essential context and cause us to reevaluate Gideon's view of the world, and ultimately to reevaluate others views of Gideon.

This is a satisfying study of truth, relationships, belief and expectation. It works on so many levels - it is an absolute joy. I was sorry it didn't make it onto the Booker shortlist last year, but I am sure the Richard and Judy cachet will bring its own rewards.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect 9 May 2007
By Veronica Marwood
Format:Paperback
'The Testament of Gideon Mack' is the first book I have read by James Robertson, and I enjoyed it so much that I now feel eager to seek out his other novels. It's imaginative, brilliantly written, evokes places and characters vividly, and is consistently smart and witty without ever becoming pretentious. The plot concerns a faithless minister who has a near-death experience and a meeting with the devil, but it's more than just a story; as Gideon's 'testament' unravels, we are shown a portrait of one man's life, his questioning of that life (his beliefs, relationships, passions and ambitions) and himself, and possibly his descent into madness.

It isn't perfect - the book is so rich with information and wide in scope that some aspects suffer; some of the characterisation is weak, with Gideon's wife, Jenny, being particularly two-dimensional. But the clever thing about this book is that, since it is written as the protagonist's personal account of his own life, the reader is constantly aware that we are only being told what Gideon wants us to know, and shown what he wants us to see.

Other reviewers have found the book's finale inconclusive, but I think that this 'open' ending is the only way a story like this could have come to a close. The epilogue reminds us forcibly that Gideon may well have been mad and that his 'testament' could have been lies and fantasy; but the mysterious clues left behind (such as the devil's trainers!) give the story a supernatural edge which sends a delicious chill down your spine.

More than just a good read, 'The Testament of Gideon Mack' really makes you think - about life, death, the afterlife, love, religion and everything inbetween; it left me reassessing my thoughts on these issues days after I had come to the end of the story. This novel works on so many levels that I find it almost impossible to imagine anyone not savouring at least some part of it. Most definitely the best book I have read so far this year!
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43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Sympathy for the Devil 30 Jan 2007
By Gregory S. Buzwell TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Gideon Mack's life is full of contradictions: he's a Church of Scotland minister, and yet he doesn't believe in God; he loves his wife Jenny, but not as much as he loves his wife's best friend Elsie; he does good works, runs marathons for charity and is there for those who need him in his church capacity, and yet he ultimately finds his existence somehow hollow and bereft of purpose. And then, while trying to rescue a friend's dog, he plunges into a deep ravine and is, or so he later claims, saved from drowning by the Devil.

James Robertson has written a fascinating novel, one that weaves folklore and the supernatural in with issues of possible mental illness, deep questions of what it means to believe in God and what it means to live a good life. On the surface it sounds a little heavy, but trust me, the excellent plot and well-drawn characters make this an absolute joy to read. It's clever, witty (there's a fabulous passage in which the Devil explains why he is particularly fond of Scotland), entertaining, thought-provoking and ultmately very moving. Gideon's life is given a lot of depth: a lonely childhood with a father who was feared rather than loved and a mother too meek to intervene on his behalf, followed by an escape from authority at university, love (and unrequited love) and, even allowing for his lack of belief, a worthwhile career in the Church.

His worthy but slightly purposeless existence is altered beyond all recognition however by his near fatal accident. During the three days between his fall down the ravine and his discovery alive (the same length of time Jesus was thought to be dead before his resurection) Mack meets (possibly) the Devil, but not the Devil of eternal flames and sulphur but rather a smooth, considerate Devil who is, frankly, rather weary of it all. Gideon Mack's life changes forever.....

Give it a go. It's thought-provoking enough to keep you wondering about all the possibilities thrown up by the narrative for days after you have finished reading; it's compassionate enough to make you feel a little warmer and more tolerant of your fellow humans, whatever their faults and frailties, and it's entertaining enough to keep you reading into the small hours. I loved it. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
not finished it yet but won't put it down, clever and well-written. can't wait for the denouement...definitely read this book
Published 20 hours ago by maddycat
4.0 out of 5 stars Unreliable narrator
This book generated a very interesting discussion at my Book Group. The plot is very unusual & you are never quite sure about the truth. A shorter version would be a better book.
Published 16 days ago by RoseJane
4.0 out of 5 stars The Testament of Gideon Mack
A fascinating and thought provoking book, left one with much to think about. Extremely well drawn charaters and interesting insight into parish life
Published 17 days ago by Sarah Ashton
5.0 out of 5 stars Completely captivating
I loved this book and fiction has to work really hard to draw me in. An exploration of faith for some but for me it was a an exploration of humanity, relationships and how we make... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lisa Cherry
3.0 out of 5 stars NHS lover
This is a moderately interesting book, I felt it didn't really have enough to say given the length of it and I found I was skipping over passages to move it on... Read more
Published 2 months ago by NHS Lover
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes you think
Definitely a thinking book, and so believable. A little too descriptive and long winded in parts, but I just had to keep reading, I had to know what happened to Gideon Mack.
Published 2 months ago by Paris
4.0 out of 5 stars unusual strange book
A beatifully written book which I found to be rather unusual and strange. I'm not sure it completely won me over as it wasn't like anything I normally read. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Emily D'Eath
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
I thought this was a brilliant book, multi-layered and full of metaphors. I have read reviews comparing it unfavourably to James Hogg's "Confessions of a Justified Sinner" (surely... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Livvy M
4.0 out of 5 stars Testament of Gideon Mack
I read this book and was completely immersed in it. I seemed to recognise some of the scenes and themes. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ms. Sarahjane Mackenzie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Testament of Gideon Mack
This is a fascinating and exciting book, well-reviewed by numerous reviewers. I have read the first 30 pages and could hardly put it down, but my wife picked it up and began... Read more
Published 11 months ago by JCB
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