Scan barcode
A review by dianahincureads
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Bass Rock is a complex, beautifully written book. Set mostly in Scotland, North Berwick, it mixes 3 timelines, following the destinies of 3 women. Sarah, accused of witchcraft in the 1700s. Ruth, trapped in an unhappy marriage and a suffocating community after the Second World War. Viviane, in charge of emptying Ruth’s house and cataloguing her belongings after Ruth’s death in the 2000s. All of them connected, their lives unfolding under the unchanged gaze of The Bass Rock, an uninhabited island visible from North Berwick.
But the main character in The Bass Rock is the patriarchy. It manifests in so many ways, setting the oppressive atmosphere of the novel. There is no escape from its systemic violence. It seeps like poison through the pages of the book. How would the lives of these 3 women look like without the men that dictate their every step? The novel explores the idea of collective trauma in very creative ways. The past literally haunts the present.
Cult vibes, supernatural elements, anxiety galore, this novel is a perfect spooky read. The Bass Rock is raw and demanding. It will constantly challenge you. Beware of TW before delving in, as most of the following topics are explored in detail: murder (femicide & other), domestic violence, rape, death, substance abuse (mostly alcoholism), child abuse (paedophilia).
📖“What if all the women that have been killed by men through history were visible to us, all at once? If we could see them lying there. What if you could project a hologram of bodies in the places they were killed? […] It’s just a feeling I have all the time that I’m walking in and out of these deaths and I should at least notice. I should notice because I’m not dead yet, and there’s no difference between these women and me, or you or your mother or the lady in the tea shop. We’re just breezing in and out of the death zone. Wading through the dead.” (p. 140-141).
But the main character in The Bass Rock is the patriarchy. It manifests in so many ways, setting the oppressive atmosphere of the novel. There is no escape from its systemic violence. It seeps like poison through the pages of the book. How would the lives of these 3 women look like without the men that dictate their every step? The novel explores the idea of collective trauma in very creative ways. The past literally haunts the present.
Cult vibes, supernatural elements, anxiety galore, this novel is a perfect spooky read. The Bass Rock is raw and demanding. It will constantly challenge you. Beware of TW before delving in, as most of the following topics are explored in detail: murder (femicide & other), domestic violence, rape, death, substance abuse (mostly alcoholism), child abuse (paedophilia).
📖“What if all the women that have been killed by men through history were visible to us, all at once? If we could see them lying there. What if you could project a hologram of bodies in the places they were killed? […] It’s just a feeling I have all the time that I’m walking in and out of these deaths and I should at least notice. I should notice because I’m not dead yet, and there’s no difference between these women and me, or you or your mother or the lady in the tea shop. We’re just breezing in and out of the death zone. Wading through the dead.” (p. 140-141).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Grief, and Death of parent