James Robertson was born in Scotland in 1958. He is the author of several short story and poetry collections and has published the novels The Fanatic, Joseph Knight, and The Testament of Gideon Mack, among others. Joseph Knight won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year, and The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize. Robertson 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.
"Provocative . . . [Gideon's] testament will affirm your faith in
the power of fiction."
-The Washington Post
"Haunting, memorable, and completely compelling."
-Los Angeles Times
"Uncommonly thought-provoking and serious-minded . . . Gideon
Mack's story raises disquieting questions most modern fiction
prefers to ignore."
-San Francisco Chronicle
Robertson offers in his absorbing American debut (two novels have been published in the U.K.) the cleverly framed autobiography of a Scottish minister who confronts the devil. A brief foreword claims the book is an autobiography penned by Gideon Mack, a Church of Scotland minister who, after allegedly encountering the devil, becomes a pariah and madman before disappearing. Raised by a harsh minister father, Gideon abandons faith at an early age, but later discovers it's possible to "be a Christian without involving Christ very much" and secures the pulpit at a small coastal church where he proves to be a gifted preacher. After his wife dies in a traffic accident, Gideon consummates a long-held obsession with old friend Elsie, whose husband, John, is also a longtime friend. A conflicted Gideon, while walking with another minister, falls into a gorge and is presumed dead. But he appears downstream, only slightly injured, three days later. His survival is miraculous, but his account of what happened is scandalous: he was saved by the devil. Gideon's struggle to find meaning in his experience leads to his undoing. Gideon's sly unreliability is cloaked by Robertson's mastery of language and command of the elements of fiction; the combination is addictive and captivating. (Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
"Provocative . . . [Gideon's] testament will affirm your faith in
the power of fiction."
-The Washington Post
"Haunting, memorable, and completely compelling."
-Los Angeles Times
"Uncommonly thought-provoking and serious-minded . . . Gideon
Mack's story raises disquieting questions most modern fiction
prefers to ignore."
-San Francisco Chronicle
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