The Testament of Gideon Mack - Hardcover

Robertson, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 024114325X ISBN 13: 9780241143254

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, 2006

Synopsis

Set in contemporary Scotland, the novel uses the literary device of a 'discovered' manuscript - the testament of Gideon Mack - which has fallen into the hands of a journalist. A son of the manse, Mack has grown up in an austere and chilly house, dominated by a joyless father. Unable to believe in God, he is far more attracted by the forbidden cartoons on television. Father and son clash fatally one day and it may be guilt which drives Mack to take up a career in the Church.
This minister, who doesn't believe in God, the Devil or an afterlife, one day discovers a standing stone in the middle of a wood where previously there had been none. Unsure what to make of this apparition, Mack's life begins to unravel dramatically until the moment when he is swept into a mountain stream, which pours down a chasm before disappearing underground. Miraculously Mack emerges three days later, battered but alive. He seems to have lost his mind however, since he claims that while underground he met the Devil.
To this story Robertson adds a wealth of insight about the mood of post-war Scotland on the brink of the social revolution of the Sixties and dramatises the country's struggle to stay true to its history while swimming within the powerful current of Americanization. Written with great lyricism, tight pacing, superlative storytelling and immense imaginative power, this is Robertson's most ambitious and accessible novel to date.

About this title

Review:

'A superb piece of Scottish Gothic’ -- The Times

'Overwhelmingly compassionate and thought-provoking' -- Irvine Welsh, The Guardian

‘A work of the highest literary quality' -- Scotland on Sunday

About the Author:

James Robertson is the author of The Fanatic, Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack, And the Land Lay Still, and The Professor of Truth. Hamish Hamilton published his most recent novel, To Be Continued. Joseph Knight won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year, The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, and And the Land Lay Still won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year. Robertson is also the author of four short story collections, most recently 365: Stories, five poetry collections and numerous children's books written in English and Scots. He runs the independent publishing house Kettillonia, and he is co-founder and general editor of the Scots language imprint Itchy Coo, which produces books in Scots for children and young adults.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 024114325X
• ISBN 13: 9780241143254
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400