Reviews

The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

marcia_arguelles's review against another edition

tense

3.75

dukegregory's review against another edition

2.0

This is, on one hand, a viscerally written conception of toxic masculinity as an intergenerational struggle of the sexes with a Gothic backing and, on the other hand, a clumsily constructed narrative triad that never allows the reader to actually consider the humanity of a single woman (or man, but I don't care about the men), as every female character comes off as a caricature: a witchy woman, a docile/domestic woman, a contemporary woman who is actually an alcoholic and is self-destructive in a number of ways. All three of these descriptions are archetypes of their respective eras. It seems odd to write a blatantly feminist novel and fail to actually complexity some literary archetypes of what a woman can be. I don't care about anything in this novel whatsoever on reflection, even if it maintained suspense and kept me tense while reading. I'll forget this in the next two weeks.

hannahwintersreads's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

geneebee's review against another edition

challenging dark

3.5

catsloverain's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Beautifully written on the sentence level, but I felt somewhat confused. Not totally sure how the little interjections at the end of each section added to the book. The novel was often repetitive, with characters experiencing identical circumstances, with the same imagery and language. The third storyline, which is somehow supposed to underpin the other two, felt weak and unclear. So many details were dropped in and then never addressed again. Ultimately the focus on showcasing male violence and the ways women are conditioned to accept created a book where neither of the main female leads (Ruth or Viv) did almost nothing and had no idea why they did the few things they did do. I came away with a feeling like the whole book takes place in one of those nightmares where you can't make any noise no matter how hard you try. I can see why these things were done and how this might have been the intended effect, but I felt dissatisfied by the number of details and plot strands left completely vague. 

mcdonaldhanny's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

livres_de_bloss's review against another edition

3.0

This was different to what I was expecting. It was bleak, violent, and upsetting but also a tale of resilience and family.

I think the book suffered from the distraction of too many threads. We had at least four different viewpoints (some obvious, some opaque) and I had a hard time determining who was connected to which families and characters. I enjoyed Viviane and Ruth’s stories the most as they were the most flushed out.

Ultimately, this is an okay book. The atmosphere of coastal Scotland was well done and the ever-looming presence of The Bass Rock was sinister which added a creepiness; but, the story is let down by too many tangled character threads, a lacklustre ending, and the relentless violent undercurrent throughout.

xna98's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

harrietthacker85's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

4.0

sofievandepitte's review against another edition

3.0

enchanting in parts, lacking as a whole