Gilead is the first novel in a trilogy that includes the novels Home (2008) and Lila (2014). Robinson's standalone novel, Housekeeping, was published in 1980. Also a steady nonfiction writer, Robinson has also published six essay collections including The Death of Adam (1998) and The Givenness of Things (2015).
The works of many famous essayists, poets, and theologians are referenced in Gilead and clearly influence its themes. These include John Calvin, Karl Barth, John Donne, George Herbert, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
