The Testament of Gideon Mack

I really enjoyed this slice of life. Born to a dour Presbyterian minister Gideon doesn't believe in God but somehow his life path takes him into the church but after his alleged meeting with the devil his life takes yet another twist. Supposedly a manuscript is found, bookended by the publisher's decision to put it in to print and some interviews by the investigative journalist of people who knew the author. Is the Testament true, is Gideon Mack as the narrator reliable? A modern day Church of Scotland minister claiming to have met the Devil is certainly unusual.

I think part of what makes this book is the affection I had for Gideon through his life. Robertson has managed to create a sympathetic character and brought to life the various show more communities he lives in - whether his childhood home, his university years or the village where he eventually becomes the minister. Good supporting characters, a thought provoking plot and just a very good read. show less

I find it hard to know what to say about this because the story is really about a pretty ordinary life - obviously the devil meeting story is important but it's a small part of the story and you shouldn't go in expecting much fantasy type stuff. It's a fictional memoir of an ordinary person, a particular way of life, a particular location, told from a maybe not completely reliable perspective. The events are mostly pretty ordinary yet the writing makes them really come alive and it's easy to get emotionally wrapped up in it, feel all the little details which feel real. Along the way there's a good amount of thoughts and conversations about "deep" questions - eg does god exist, what does it mean to believe, what should life be about, how show more we relate to stories, what history means today, what sort of life you should choose, the way life inevitably involves "settling" for stuff that's not your ideal. It's all done in a very natural style that doesn't feel out of place or pretentious and it's all pretty interesting and thought provoking. It's hard to get across the feel and plot of the book because so much relies on very good writing and well thought out scenes. I just think it's really good if the description takes your fancy, as long as you're willing to read more about the life of the minister than that of the devil (although that bit is very very good too). Highly recommended, very human, very emotional, very sad, very thought provoking. There's lots of questions I could think of about the plot but it wraps itself up well enough and the questions are interesting to think about - how much "really" happened within the story? what was going on in Gideon Mack's mind? It's very good anyway show less

We are revisiting the 2006 Booker prize in the Mookse group, and this book was an unexpected revelation - I would certainly like to read more by Robertson. It is a very idiosyncratic story and a very Scottish one, so I suspect others may not be so positive.

The central character Gideon Mack is a minister of the Church of Scotland, and the son of another. Despite his strict religious upbringing, he has never really believed in God. The story is set in Monimasket, a fictional small town on the east coast between Dundee and Aberdeen.

Most of the book consists of Mack's personal story, but there is also an introduction in which the supposed publisher explains how he came by the book and how its author died, and an epilogue in which a show more journalist who has been hired by the publisher recounts his visit to the town in which the main events occur and his attempts to interview some of the surviving witnesses.

The core of the story is an incident in which Mack has slipped into the Black Jaws, a deep ravine in which a river disappears underground. His body is washed up alive and almost unscarred three days later, and Mack insists that he was rescued by the Devil, enjoyed his company and wants to meet him again. Of course this makes it a classic unreliable narration, but for me it is the humour, the local colour and the sheer inventive exuberance that makes the book a joy to read, and one which I would recommend wholeheartedly to anyone with an interest in Scotland, its landscapes, history and folklore. show less

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 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.

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 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 show more ideas about organised religion. show less

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 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.

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 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 show more 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. show less