The Testament of Gideon Mack
The Testament of Gideon Mack
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Summary
Set in Scotland, this novel uses the literary device of a manuscript, the testament of Gideon Mack, which has fallen into the hands of a journalist. It offers insight about the mood of post-war Scotland on the brink of the social revolution of the Sixties, and its struggle to stay true to its history, within the current of Americanization.
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The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson
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 dramatizes 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.
In James Robertson, Scotland has a writer of the highest literary quality and cultural acuity. He recently served as the Scottish Parliament's first Writer in Residence and his second novel, Joseph Knight, won the two major Scottish literary prizes in 2003 /4 -- the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year. He has published two novels, stories, poetry, anthologies, compiled a Scottish Dictionary of Quotations and is also editor of an educational Scots imprint. James lives in Angus.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780241143254 |
| ISBN 10 | 024114325X |
| Title | The Testament of Gideon Mack |
| Author | James Robertson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2006-06-01 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for British Book Awards: Best Read of the Year 2007 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |