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The Testament of Gideon Mack
The Testament of Gideon Mack
Nov 16, 2025 4:28 PM

Author:James Robertson

The Testament of Gideon Mack

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.

Reviews

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

A pulsing comedy of country manners. Just about perfick

—— - , Time

Hilarious

—— - , New York Times

Very racy, earthy. Rabelaisian

—— - , Spectator

Jean Plaidy conveys the texture of various patches of the past with such rich complexity

—— Guardian

Intelligent chick-lit ... This laugh-out-loud debut will captivate readers

—— Publishers Weekly

Brilliantly funny in its early chapters, but also very wise, the virtuosic irony turns to bitterness as a tragic story develops. Tesich died just after completing this marvellous, heart-felt valediction.

—— Scotland on Sunday

A sad novel with a jaunty, upbeat tone that disguises the tragedy of Tesich's magnetic characters

—— Observer

A feisty read you won't want to put down

—— Woman

A must-read for empty nesters ... this is Trollope at her most poignant

—— Guernsey Now
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