Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

14 reviews

any_bethany's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A brutal, visceral and important portrait of male violence and the way it distorts, destroys and stains lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Infertility, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Grief, Sexual violence, and Torture

my_a's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Rape, Alcohol, Misogyny, Murder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Stalking, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual assault

Moderate: War, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

funktious's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Objectively speaking, this isn't a bad book, but I absolutely hated it. 

The good: the characters, the setting, the fierce sisterhood amongst the women through all the generations. The Bass Rock looming over it all, the witchiness. Ruth, Betty and Bernadette. Maggie for about 10% of her page time. The post-war trauma in Ruth's section.

The bad: the sheer unrelenting misery ('oh look, it's a new female character, I wonder what's going to happen to her? Oh, she's being raped already'.) The constant drinking. The metric ton of rape. That only one living man in the whole book is not an absolute monster. Maggie, like 90% of the time.

I may have enjoyed this more in a different time of my life, but right now I need a bit more hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, and Forced institutionalization

catha1na's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Murder, Misogyny, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Sexism, Self harm, Death, Child death, Mental illness, Infidelity, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship

oleanderwillow's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca' and similar to Laura Purcell's books. Took me a week to read because of a reading slump but also because I needed time in between the chapters. This book is so full of realistic and heart-breaking violence against women and young boys that it is difficult to read, so I didn't rush it. You need to be in the right headspace to read this, and please take into account all the trigger warnings attached to this novel. Well-written, beautiful setting, realistic characters, wonderful book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

anna220310's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Alcoholism, Drug use, Death of parent, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage

Minor: War

This is very hard to read, emotionally, but a very important read. A masterful representation of the pervasiveness of violence against women throughout time, and a call for rebellion. Although The Bass Rock could be classified as gothic fiction, it is much too realistic to be called that, even though that fact is hard to stomach. Evie Wyld also does not only portray violence against women, but also the violence men enact on young boys, so it feels like a comprehensive portrayal of the ridiculously extensive normalisation of sexual violence that is integral to the patriarchal system. If anyone doesn't understand why it is dangerous to be a woman, today as well as throughout history, hand them this book.

azebrareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Ableism, Bullying, Torture, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Death, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

abookishtype's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

 The small community near East Lothian’s Bass Rock is not a safe place for women or children. It seems that it never has been, as we learn in Evie Wyld’s unsettling novel The Bass Rock. Wyld’s narrative sends us reeling back and forth in time as depressed Viv, oppressed Ruth, and hunted Sarah try to find a measure of peace on their scrap of Scottish coast, with variable success. This is a difficult book and I’m not entirely sure that the payoff at the end was worth the creeping dread I felt while reading it...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Murder, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting

savvylit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

The Bass Rock is a captivating novel about the full spectrum of male violence. From gaslighting and manipulation to sexual violence and murder, Wyld slowly and subtly drips in the myriad ways that men have controlled & harmed women throughout history. The Bass Rock forces readers to pay attention to what all women know - but may only occasionally acknowledge for sanity's sake. That each one of us has experienced male violence. Each one of us has had some of the very same fears and realities faced by the characters in these pages.

Needless to say, The Bass Rock is an emotionally heavy book. However, Wyld maintains reader interest by switching between each of her vivid, flawed characters. There is so much more to this novel beyond the violence. There's evocative descriptions of the Scottish coast, complicated family dynamics, paranormal activity, claustrophobic small town encounters... Wyld writes so beautifully that you can't look away. While reading, I found myself vacillating between feeling frustrated, hopeful, disappointed, unsurprised, and deeply depressed. If you decide to read this too, please be sure to take care of yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Murder, Violence, Rape, Death, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

corneliusmcstrawberry's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

this book was dark. personally i am a fan of dark, challenging pieces of literary fiction, so this was up my alley. this author's use of different types of perspective (first person, third person omniscient/limited) is genius; once i realized why she chose to play around with perspective the way she did, it all clicked, and i loved it. good use of motifs as well, and great attention to detail/subtlety. the fox and the wolf are recurring motifs throughout this book and i enjoyed the symbolism. this is a story about patriarchal violence, and how society has allowed it to fester and ruin the lives of so many women across generations, in ways big and small. potential spoiler ahead (?):

the character maggie was my favourite - such a complex character, and her dialogue is a breath of fresh air that cuts through the fog and unapologetically hands you the message of the novel.

also, the prologue of this novel!!!! one of the best i have read. it sets the tone for the novel and frankly, it did have me hooked on the book from the beginning. i found parts of this book to be quite thrilling, as well as blunt and - as i have already stated - dark. if you are looking for a distinctly feminist novel, this is a great book to try. it was weaved together so well, the stories of the three women - sarah, ruth, and viviane - as well as those of the side characters have been braided together. this was a great read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Minor: Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy