A review by serendipitysbooks
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-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

4.0

 
Bass Rock is the interwoven stories of three women from three different eras - Sarah in the 1700s, Ruth in the post World War II era, and Viviane in contemporary times. The stories of all three women unfold on the rugged coast of Scotland and, sadly, male violence plays a key role in the stories of all three women.

As I read I couldn’t help admiring the skill and control with which the story was crafted. The structure was really interesting. Each chapter opens in the present, then moves back through Ruth’s story to Sarah’s, before moving forward via Ruth to Viv again. Interspersed are accounts of other, nameless, women being attacked. Each woman’s story is narrated in a different fashion - Viv’s by herself in the first person, Ruth’s in the third person but from her perspective, while Sarah’s story is told in the first person the son of a vicar who provided her with shelter. Careful readers will notice links between the women and their stories - objects, characters, lines and more recur. Additionally, the atmosphere is suitably dark and ominous. The location is isolated, the coastline rugged and threatening, the weather frequently dark, wet and windy. Then there is the slightly spooky house and strange noises in the night.

I was delighted to see tickling included as an integral part of this story. All too often tickling is perceived as innocuous and good fun. Sometimes it is. But, if unwanted and non-consensual, it is definitely not. Wyld did a great job of emphasising that fact, portraying it as part of a continuum of violence against women.

While each individual story isn’t necessarily unique, linking them together and recounting them as one increases their power and highlights the persistence of men’s violence against women. Despite centuries of advances in many areas male violence continues to blight women’s lives.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book. Enjoyed is too trite. And I was too busy raging. As I should have been. But I was definitely engrossed by it, and I admired the skill with which it unfolded and the power that it carried. A worthy winner of the 2021 Stella Prize. 
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