Publication
Penguin Books (2007), Edition: Later printing, 400 pages
Original publication date
2006
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2006)
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards (Shortlist — Fiction — 2007)
Description
Mack is a minister who doesn't believe in God, the Devil or an afterlife. Until one day, when he falls into a gorge and is rescued by someone who might just be Satan himself.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MikeFarquhar
James Robertson's The Testament of Gideon Mack is the story a dead man, a Minister of the Kirk, has left behind, telling of what happened to him after he fell into a gorge, miraculously survived for three days, met the Devil and became shunned. Robertson's two previous books were good, but a little
I really enjoyed this. Robertson gives you a believable protagonist in Mack; likable, but flawed, and he constructs Mack's world well before the events that form the focus of the book take place. The ending is ambiguous...did Mack really meet the Devil when he vanished into a gorge for three days and survive in miraculous fashion? Or was it mental illness? A third possibility is curious...it jamp straight out at me, with Robertson flagging it up in such a way that it is obvious to those who have the knowledge to interpret the clues he seeds, but he interestingly doesn't really give the unknowing reader the information they would need to work it out for themselves.
It doesn't really matter. Robertson uses his characters and setting to reflect on some of the changes Scotland has undergone in the last century, and then takes Gideon's 'encounter' with the Devil as a means to suggest something about the nature of good and evil now, and in the future, without being heavy-handed about either. The narrative flows naturally, and works for me far better than either of Robertson's previous two books.
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dry in places...this is much more lively in its style.I really enjoyed this. Robertson gives you a believable protagonist in Mack; likable, but flawed, and he constructs Mack's world well before the events that form the focus of the book take place. The ending is ambiguous...did Mack really meet the Devil when he vanished into a gorge for three days and survive in miraculous fashion? Or was it mental illness? A third possibility is curious...it jamp straight out at me, with Robertson flagging it up in such a way that it is obvious to those who have the knowledge to interpret the clues he seeds, but he interestingly doesn't really give the unknowing reader the information they would need to work it out for themselves.
It doesn't really matter. Robertson uses his characters and setting to reflect on some of the changes Scotland has undergone in the last century, and then takes Gideon's 'encounter' with the Devil as a means to suggest something about the nature of good and evil now, and in the future, without being heavy-handed about either. The narrative flows naturally, and works for me far better than either of Robertson's previous two books.
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LibraryThing member Clurb
Gideon Mack is a Scottish minister who doesn't believe in God. Which is of itself a nice narrative device for broaching the themes of faith and religion.
Latterly, Mack falls off a cliff and has a conversation with the devil, and although I quite liked the vagueness of the ending, I can see how
I liked this story a lot and it raises very interesting discussion on the nature of life, faith, and man's relationship to God, but don't go at it expecting deep spiritual revalations.
Latterly, Mack falls off a cliff and has a conversation with the devil, and although I quite liked the vagueness of the ending, I can see how
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people could find the whole thing very frustrating. I liked this story a lot and it raises very interesting discussion on the nature of life, faith, and man's relationship to God, but don't go at it expecting deep spiritual revalations.
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LibraryThing member soliloquies
Highly enjoyable book about Gideon Mack - a flawed Minister. The narrative documents Gideon's life and includes his meeting with an entity he believes to be the devil. You are left to decide for yourself if Gideon really has met the devil or if he is mad...
LibraryThing member RobinDawson
This is a very unlikely story yet the novel's structure and sense of immediacy manages to make it credible, gripping, entertaining and thought provoking. It tackles some big issues – life after death, faith/belief, the forces of evil, assessment of sanity/insanity, truth, Christianity and the
It is firmly rooted in rural Scotland – there's plenty of rain, cold, woods, whisky and Scottish brogue - by the end of the novel I felt like I'd been tramping the moors for quite a while - and enjoyed the journey.
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supernatural. It is firmly rooted in rural Scotland – there's plenty of rain, cold, woods, whisky and Scottish brogue - by the end of the novel I felt like I'd been tramping the moors for quite a while - and enjoyed the journey.
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LibraryThing member saucyhp
What a great idea for a novel! Even though you know whats going to happen, the writer manages to keep your interest and raises a lot of questions that keep you pondering afterwards
LibraryThing member revslick
A haunting tale of a agnostic pastor's struggle with faith in the midst of life. The book really gets interesting when he's finally confronted with his faith with a rendezvous with the devil. At that juncture the tough decisions come into play. This would make the perfect book club book to discuss
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with lots of friends because opinions of his choices would vary greatly. Show Less
LibraryThing member patgarth
Unique, wierd story of a man who swears he has met the devil and his subsequent downfall.
LibraryThing member ishtahar
An incredibly insightful novel on the nature of belief and faith - how far should you let it go, if at all?
Gideon Mack is a minister in the Church of Scotland who has never believed in God. At the age of 43 he falls in a river and is presumed dead, until he turns up 3 days later saying he was
Is Gideon mad or not? Or is his meeting with the devil the proof that his congregation needed of the existence of God, without whom there would be no devil? Why is it that a medieval minister of the church would be hailed for meeting with and surviving the devil whereas a 21st century one is automatically categorised as insane?
My only criticism is the cover. If you bought this solely for the pretty pictures binding the words (as many people do) you would be expecting an hilarious laugh out loud pastiche of religion. And you will be sadly disappointed. I wonder how many people bought this on the strength of the cover and read about five chapters before giving up. There is so much in here left unsaid, so many paths of philosophical enquiry that are opened that it could be one of those rare novels I may consider reading again.
Gideon Mack is a minister in the Church of Scotland who has never believed in God. At the age of 43 he falls in a river and is presumed dead, until he turns up 3 days later saying he was
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rescued by Satan with whom he had many an interesting chat. This book is the story of Gideon's life, as written by Gideon himself immediately prior to his mysterious disappearance.Is Gideon mad or not? Or is his meeting with the devil the proof that his congregation needed of the existence of God, without whom there would be no devil? Why is it that a medieval minister of the church would be hailed for meeting with and surviving the devil whereas a 21st century one is automatically categorised as insane?
My only criticism is the cover. If you bought this solely for the pretty pictures binding the words (as many people do) you would be expecting an hilarious laugh out loud pastiche of religion. And you will be sadly disappointed. I wonder how many people bought this on the strength of the cover and read about five chapters before giving up. There is so much in here left unsaid, so many paths of philosophical enquiry that are opened that it could be one of those rare novels I may consider reading again.
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LibraryThing member wandering_star
I really enjoyed reading this book, about a doubting minister who disappears for three days and comes back claiming to have met (and liked) the Devil. Gideon Mack's voice was convincing and it kept me turning the pages late into the night. But ultimately the book added up to less than the sum of
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its parts. The framing story (in which a publisher talks about the manuscript which forms the bulk of the book) was much less convincingly told, and didn't quite succeed in its aim of making you question the story you've just read. And I didn't detect much of an examination of faith and belief in the modern world, as some of the reviews implied. OK, it was a story about a minister, with people espousing a whole range of views about religion and belief, but it didn't have anything profound to say about that. Best thing is to take it for the slightly Gothic romp that it is. Show Less
LibraryThing member queen_evie
You know those 'pretend reality' novels, that are written to seem as though they are real? This is one of those. In fact, a few pages into it's prologue, and I was re-checking the blurb and acclaim quotes to make sure it was a novel. The prologue introduces the publisher Patrick Walker, writing of
The pages are his memoirs, from his birth up until his disappearance, and his is one very grey, repressed, pious and yet somehow interesting story. As it unfolds, in precise detail, you become increasingly curious about every aspect of the story. I began to wish I could read the memoirs of the other characters in the book, so well were they illuminated, and see their side of the story. The voice of Gideon Mack becomes quickly familiar and easy. The bulk of the story is set in the small Scottish town of Monimaskit, and there are many grey descriptions of mountains, gorges, cliffs and woods that paint that picture lush and true. It is set in the present day, although as Gideon tells the tale of his life, it obviously eventuates over almost 50 years. Alluding back to the 'pretend reality' concept, throughout his story, Gideon often comments and relates to events in the world, such as the hippie-fuelled sixties, the influence of America on the United Kingdom, Princess Diana's death, war in Iraq, etc etc - which makes the story constantly feel as though it really did happen, over these last 50 or so years.
A few quotes and sections of the book are written in the "guid scots tongue" - the way scottish is spoken, and even some words from an older Scottish, like ken (know), syne (then), and aince (once). The religious fervour of the town in which Gideon grew up, and the old-fashioned attitude of the ministers in and around his eventual parish also make one think of Scotland, or super-Catholic Ireland. I am not an expert in these areas, but I do know that not every country in the world has a 'minister' looking after a 'parish' in today's day.
They mystery begins to become exciting when Gideon first writes about the standing stone he finds in the woods, that wasn't there before. This is quite obviously impossible, as standing stones cannot physically just 'appear' out of thin air. This event leads him on to a series of events leading to him falling into a gorge, and washing up, ALIVE (and without much damage) three days later - with quite a story to tell. As we have had a glimpse at the effects and rumours about his story at the beginning of the novel in the prologue, it begins to be a matter of chewing through the pages in order to put the pieces together. In that sense, I think the book could be defined as a mystery/memoir style narrative.
The blurb on the back advertised the transportation of the reader into "an utterly mesmerising exploration of the very nature of belief". I'm not sure there was all that much speculation about 'belief'. Surely, there was the exploration of Gideon Mack's personal belief system, but not the NATURE of all belief. There was, however, lots of introspective information about life, and day to day existence that made me think about my own life. Which I suppose is sort of the same thing.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, very different and interesting, although slow in certain parts, and the end is a bit ambiguous (no doubt on purpose, but it is sometimes frustrating when all the loose ends don't tie up).
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the curious incidents that brought the transcript of Gideon Mack's 'testament' into his hands, and why he feels the need to publish it. This is followed by the full transcript of the written pages found after the proved death of the minister Gideon Mack, who disappeared in the Scottish highlands months previously. Walker explains that prior to Gideon Mack's death he had claimed to have met and spoken with the Devil - claims that stripped him of his position in the Church, and brought his closest friends to thinking he was a madman.The pages are his memoirs, from his birth up until his disappearance, and his is one very grey, repressed, pious and yet somehow interesting story. As it unfolds, in precise detail, you become increasingly curious about every aspect of the story. I began to wish I could read the memoirs of the other characters in the book, so well were they illuminated, and see their side of the story. The voice of Gideon Mack becomes quickly familiar and easy. The bulk of the story is set in the small Scottish town of Monimaskit, and there are many grey descriptions of mountains, gorges, cliffs and woods that paint that picture lush and true. It is set in the present day, although as Gideon tells the tale of his life, it obviously eventuates over almost 50 years. Alluding back to the 'pretend reality' concept, throughout his story, Gideon often comments and relates to events in the world, such as the hippie-fuelled sixties, the influence of America on the United Kingdom, Princess Diana's death, war in Iraq, etc etc - which makes the story constantly feel as though it really did happen, over these last 50 or so years.
A few quotes and sections of the book are written in the "guid scots tongue" - the way scottish is spoken, and even some words from an older Scottish, like ken (know), syne (then), and aince (once). The religious fervour of the town in which Gideon grew up, and the old-fashioned attitude of the ministers in and around his eventual parish also make one think of Scotland, or super-Catholic Ireland. I am not an expert in these areas, but I do know that not every country in the world has a 'minister' looking after a 'parish' in today's day.
They mystery begins to become exciting when Gideon first writes about the standing stone he finds in the woods, that wasn't there before. This is quite obviously impossible, as standing stones cannot physically just 'appear' out of thin air. This event leads him on to a series of events leading to him falling into a gorge, and washing up, ALIVE (and without much damage) three days later - with quite a story to tell. As we have had a glimpse at the effects and rumours about his story at the beginning of the novel in the prologue, it begins to be a matter of chewing through the pages in order to put the pieces together. In that sense, I think the book could be defined as a mystery/memoir style narrative.
The blurb on the back advertised the transportation of the reader into "an utterly mesmerising exploration of the very nature of belief". I'm not sure there was all that much speculation about 'belief'. Surely, there was the exploration of Gideon Mack's personal belief system, but not the NATURE of all belief. There was, however, lots of introspective information about life, and day to day existence that made me think about my own life. Which I suppose is sort of the same thing.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, very different and interesting, although slow in certain parts, and the end is a bit ambiguous (no doubt on purpose, but it is sometimes frustrating when all the loose ends don't tie up).
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LibraryThing member BeeQuiet
I have to say I had high hopes for this book as it had been recommended by a friend whose literary taste I trust. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I completed the book, I understood the concepts and philosophies being illustrated by the author. Perhaps if such thoughts were considered
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vaguely radical by me, I would have enjoyed it more. It is a thesis on the questioning of faith, and of what faith is in the first place. It is a questioning of the nature of God, and of course Old Nick. It is a questioning of the importance, or lack thereof of family, of friends, of free thought and freedom. I can see a lot of people enjoying this book and getting a lot from it. The literary style didn't do much for me, but I have to say that that does not mean it is a bad book. Don't be put off because I don't like it. I'll still be recommending it to a couple of people! Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
This book is incredibly difficult to summarize but I'll give it a try. First of all let me say that I was up most of last night finishing this book and skipped my a.m. walk to read the epilogue. There's so much here that once you start reading, you can't stop. Period. It's one of those books where
Here's what the Penguin website has to say in summary:
"Gideon Mack is a good man and a minister who does not believe in God but—after a near–deadly fall into a raging river—he claims to have met the Devil. Gideon is expelled from the church, mocked by the tabloids, shunned as a madman, and then he disappears. The case is considered closed until a publisher receives what appears to be Gideon's posthumous account of his experience and the unusual life that preceded it." (see it here) . I can't improve on this summary without wrecking the story and this book is so unique that I don't want to do that.
For me, the book raises some interesting questions, mostly about finding that line between what we are supposed to believe vs. what we know to be true, based on our own experiences. Is a person crazy if he believes that he experienced something that rational minds can't grasp? And in the same vein, why do we try to attribute rational solutions to some things when they simply cannot be explained? Does everything have a rational solution, or are there some things that we just have to take on faith? In the end you have to make up your own mind about Gideon Mack -- there are no easy answers here.
I noticed that not all reviewers and not all readers liked this book, but that's okay. Personally, I thought the writing was superb, the characters are incredibly believable and the premise unique. I couldn't wait for the US version, so ordered it from the UK, and it was worth every penny and more. Don't miss this one.
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you find yourself compelled to keep going because you're completely sucked in. Would I recommend it? MOST Definitely!Here's what the Penguin website has to say in summary:
"Gideon Mack is a good man and a minister who does not believe in God but—after a near–deadly fall into a raging river—he claims to have met the Devil. Gideon is expelled from the church, mocked by the tabloids, shunned as a madman, and then he disappears. The case is considered closed until a publisher receives what appears to be Gideon's posthumous account of his experience and the unusual life that preceded it." (see it here) . I can't improve on this summary without wrecking the story and this book is so unique that I don't want to do that.
For me, the book raises some interesting questions, mostly about finding that line between what we are supposed to believe vs. what we know to be true, based on our own experiences. Is a person crazy if he believes that he experienced something that rational minds can't grasp? And in the same vein, why do we try to attribute rational solutions to some things when they simply cannot be explained? Does everything have a rational solution, or are there some things that we just have to take on faith? In the end you have to make up your own mind about Gideon Mack -- there are no easy answers here.
I noticed that not all reviewers and not all readers liked this book, but that's okay. Personally, I thought the writing was superb, the characters are incredibly believable and the premise unique. I couldn't wait for the US version, so ordered it from the UK, and it was worth every penny and more. Don't miss this one.
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LibraryThing member polarbear123
Writen in an interesting way - the novel itself is a 'found' manuscript' from a dead minister - we know he is a disgraced minister who has some bizarre experience and then disappears and later his body is found. So the novel is reading his account of what actually happened to him. I found it hugely
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entertaining and it really did get me thinking about those big religious changes and even at some points my actual opinion was challenged and even changed. Was Gideon Mack mad? or did these events actually happen to him. Well I changed my answer to this question at several points whilst reading the novel and to tell you the truth I am still not entirely sure. I need more time to think about this one. A novel that will challenege your own ideas about organised religion. Show Less
LibraryThing member mhgatti
Fantasy dealing with the devil that reads like non-fiction. Very well done.
LibraryThing member dylkit
Not as strong as some of Robertson's earlier books which have more of a historical bent. I was expecting it to be a bit more like James Hogg's 'Justified Sinner'. A bit more psychological. There was a bit too much exposition in it, and I think the device of the standing stone was ultimately wasted.
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I do like the idea of landscapes having stories attached to them that live on in folk memory,but the story never quite gelled for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheoClarke
Thought-provoking novel purporting to be the autobiography of an agnostic minister who believes that he met Satan. Framed within an introduction by a fictional publisher and notes from a fictional investigative journalist, the story has a very strong sense of place in the Scottish Highlands and a
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distinctive Scottish voice. The central theme seems to be about the nature of faith and belief in general rather than about theology; it is an essentially secular tale abut a religious man. Show Less
LibraryThing member raisedbybooks
Goodreads doesn't actually allow me to give half stars, because honestly I feel this was a 3.5. I couldn't quite give it a 4, but I also don't think the 3 does it justice.
The premise of this book intrigued me so much that I clicked a couple buttons on my nook and bought it without a second
There were places that I thought this novel was highly engaging, and other times it read like a bad memoir, but for the most part I did find it to be highly imaginative. I think the reason I am able to look past some of the less-than-perfect parts of this story is that it is written entirely in Gideon’s perspective, besides some ‘publisher’s notes’ thrown in here and there, so the reader only gets to see what he wants us to see. Although he insists it is an honest account of his life, we do find out near the end that he did lie about his affair with his best friend’s wife. How many other things did Gideon falsify in his story? The reader is left to figure these things out on their own. This is what makes it so fascinating. Did Gideon actually suffer from a mental breakdown? It’s highly possible. But wait... what about the devil’s trainers that came back with him? I love chilling and supernatural stories, so I am under the impression that yes, Gideon did meet and connect with the devil.
*I actually loved the character of the devil (typical Amanda, basically), and just wish we were given more time with him. I thought that his reflections of god were great; implying that god has pretty much taken a leave of absence.*
All in all, I enjoyed it. I didn’t love it, and I am not going to ask anyone else to read it. I will leave you with one quote that I think is relevant to life, though. “...he was there or he was not there, whether you believed in him or not. I happened not to believe in him, but he was still there. And that was the twist: even if he didn’t exist, he would still get you, sooner or later.”
The premise of this book intrigued me so much that I clicked a couple buttons on my nook and bought it without a second
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thought. The plot of the story centers on Gideon Mack, a faithless minister who has a near-death experience which culminates in a meeting with the devil. There were places that I thought this novel was highly engaging, and other times it read like a bad memoir, but for the most part I did find it to be highly imaginative. I think the reason I am able to look past some of the less-than-perfect parts of this story is that it is written entirely in Gideon’s perspective, besides some ‘publisher’s notes’ thrown in here and there, so the reader only gets to see what he wants us to see. Although he insists it is an honest account of his life, we do find out near the end that he did lie about his affair with his best friend’s wife. How many other things did Gideon falsify in his story? The reader is left to figure these things out on their own. This is what makes it so fascinating. Did Gideon actually suffer from a mental breakdown? It’s highly possible. But wait... what about the devil’s trainers that came back with him? I love chilling and supernatural stories, so I am under the impression that yes, Gideon did meet and connect with the devil.
*I actually loved the character of the devil (typical Amanda, basically), and just wish we were given more time with him. I thought that his reflections of god were great; implying that god has pretty much taken a leave of absence.*
All in all, I enjoyed it. I didn’t love it, and I am not going to ask anyone else to read it. I will leave you with one quote that I think is relevant to life, though. “...he was there or he was not there, whether you believed in him or not. I happened not to believe in him, but he was still there. And that was the twist: even if he didn’t exist, he would still get you, sooner or later.”
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
014102335X / 9780141023359
Physical description
400 p.; 5.08 inches
Pages
400