The Bass Rock" is a beautifully interwoven tale of three women, whose lives span across centuries, each bound by the constraints imposed by the men in their lives, yet finding strength in sisterhood. This novel, a deserving winner of the Stella Prize, is a testament to the resilience of women through ages of adversity.

"The Bass Rock" has been sitting on my NetGalley shelf for three years, and I’ve no clue as to why I've never read it before this last week. Other books got in its way, I suppose. But now I’m mad at myself for not reading it sooner, because Evie Wyld has written quite a good book, and I missed out on it for far too long.

The novel tells the story of three women, centuries apart, living in Scotland near the Bass Rock, whose lives have been broken by controlling men. Sarah is accused of witchcraft, Ruth is newly married and living in the aftermath of World War II, and sixty years later, Viv is staying in Ruth’s house and cleaning out Ruth’s belongings after her death.

All three women have suffered, albeit in different ways, at the hands of men. The story is not an easy read – we witness rape, physical violence, gaslighting, threats of mental institutions – and it’s maddening to think that for so long, for so many years, women have been subjected to this abuse without much ever changing.

Through her writing, Wyld is unapologetic in her feminism and fierce in her attack of men. And while I can usually get behind that, some of the male characters are too quick to turn to evil ways. They start out as seemingly good guys, and then a switch is flipped and they’re committing the worst of worst behavior. I wasn’t entirely sold on it and wish there had been earlier hints to their true nature.

I hope Wyld writes another book one day, though. I’m curious to see what she comes up with after such a compelling novel. Me thinks I need more Wyld in my life.


My sincerest appreciation to Evie Wyld, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group – Pantheon, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

After suffering a mental collapse, Viv moves to the east coast of Scotland, overlooking an imposing island called Bass Rock. Viv is staying in the large, ancestral house belonging to the Hamilton family. Slowly it dawns on her that her mother was less a housekeeper and more of a lover and companion to the stern Mrs. Hamilton. The author of “The Bass Rock,” Evie Wyld, is woefully unprolific, but her few books are equally excellent. “The Bass Rock” holds more than a little in common with Kate Atkinson, who holds a theme expertly in place across generations.

Her latest novel also easily draws comparisons to Virginia Woolf and the trained helplessness of the people in “the big house,” the raw emotion of the weather. What Wyld does wonderfully is balance a story across centuries, like a turtle carrying multiple worlds on its back. Using the Bass Rock as a geographical place-setting, not to mention an ominous formation on the horizon, she travels to early Gaelic history and back, visiting the lives that intersect this unique landscape. But what is not unique is the history of violence toward women. She draws a parallel between psychological ancestry that’s as much a part of the lifeblood of the region as the geography. In the great tradition of British women authors (Wyld is Anglo-Australian), she flips what is commonly read as entertainment—the murder of a woman, for example, a mystery—into a reflection on the history of repeated casual violence toward women in society and the devastating psychological effect that it has through time.

Tempering centuries of violence is the idea that slowly, the tide does turn. Maggie, a semi-itinerant woman whom Viv meets in town, crashes on her couch. “I’m not homeless, if that’s what you think. I just choose right now not to have a home.” Calling herself a witch and opting out of the capitalist system, Maggie is just what Viv needs to combat the loneliness of her situation, to come to peace with the past, and to replace Viv’s absent mother. Maggie offers a radical future that leaps from a history of goddesses, not the crushing patriarchy. Her strength is a startling reminder to Viv about her own agency in her story.

“The Bass Rock”
By Evie Wyld
Pantheon, 350 pages

While I had high expectations for this book, I ended up not connecting with it and leaving it.
Perhaps I was not the intended audience as it was also hard to get in on the writing style.

Stunning read encompassing centuries through the lives of three women linked through the ages. Loved the atmosphere, and appreciated the discussions on witchcraft as a vehicle for the more heartbreaking, persisting truth of the violence of men towards women.

The Bass Rock tells stories about three women across different centuries. Takes place on the Scottish mainland, Evie Wyld does a fantasic job creating visuals that pulled me to Scotland. A great story on how lives are linked over decades. I really enjoyed this read.

A book that is virtually impossible to come to without being aware of the hype; it’s promotional stance and the author’s previous acclaimed writing.
I was not put off but intrigued. Interested, but it didn’t scream read me. Indeed had I not been afforded an advanced reading copy through NetGalley I may never have read the book.

I am grateful for that opportunity, which brought an additional purpose to reading this text. Furthermore, I would say without this extra impetus I might not have completed the book. While I can’t say it was life changing and literature at its best, it was in fact enjoyable to read, funny at times and a privilege to be presented with female perspectives.

The writing is crisp and establishes that sense of foreboding that something dark, threatens the women in these three accounts. Anchored by a physical location and linked by a spiritual, ghostly influence the three stories come together and throw insight upon the place and role of the sexes in different ages.

I was appalled at times by the sense of male entitlement and upset by the disenfranchisement of the female characters often succumbing to their allotted roles.

This is a multilayered piece which would benefit from re-reading as I sense there is great depth in the writing that is easily overlooked. The stories provoke responses by intent and indirectly will get you thinking beyond these depicted lives.
It is greater than the sum-of its parts.
It is more revealing than just a set of truths and actions.

It shows the acceptance of an established order and why things have seldom changed quickly despite activism and protest.

It shows how women have been threatened and cajoled into passive responses and inaction but in each life shows the fight and spirit was always present.

This was a really interesting story - told primarily through three main storylines with other stories of women interwoven. It was hard to follow at times everything that was going on but it was really interesting. I loved how they used witchcraft as a tool for showing male abuse. It was a really heartbreaking look at the toxic relationships we can be in and the dangers of them but also the beauty in women supporting each other.

This is a beautifully written book with a strong message. It works through centuries of women's discomfort and rage, and I really appreciated the views we were given into these characters' lives. While this might be someone else's perfect book, I can recognize that it just wasn't meant to emotionally connect with me. I went into it expecting something a little more atmospheric and ended up feeling let down by the description and language that I wanted from this kind of story. There were moments of really beautiful prose, but something held me back from connecting completely with the characters beyond a universal sense of womanhood.

this had a lot going on and was such an intense read. a really great examination of the trauma women go through, and how we've been going through it forever now. it was really devastating and i admire the way Wyld really made me *feel* for these characters, although things did feel a bit jumbled at times and i wish perhaps the chapters had been labeled by narrator.

The setting was absolutely spectacular. The large house on the North Berwick shore with the Bass Rock looming in the view from the windows.

This is my first Evie Wyld novel and I found the writing to be an unusual and artistic blend of feminine angst, magical realism, and gothic melodrama – there is even a wee ghost.

Of the three women protagonists, I found Ruth’s story to be the most compelling. Her loneliness. Her husband’s abominable treatment of her…

Vivienne’s character was troubled, and reading her authentic voice was downright disturbing at times. She seemed deeply unhappy, drank to excess, and didn’t eat well. Her actions and thoughts were told in almost a stream of consciousness technique. Her interactions with the quirky Maggie felt almost ominous.

It bothered me that the women in this novel turned to drink at the slightest provocation. I don’t mind a drink or three myself, but their drinking seemed over excessive and made them seem weaker than they were.

Although this is not a crime novel, it did contain many crimes within its pages.

The theme of this novel covered several topics such as loss, loneliness, misogyny, and crimes against women over the years. It has an overall dark and unsettling tone, and reads as feminist fiction. It expounds on the centuries of hurt that men have inflicted on women. It portrays men as mostly selfish and predatory. Perhaps I’ve been lucky, but tarring all with the same brush made it seem as though the author belabored the vilifying of men.

The writing itself was beautiful in places. The atmosphere and pathos were astounding.

I realize that this story might not be for everyone. The tone, the subject matter, are not to everyone’s taste. This is award-winning, literary fiction, deserving of acclaim, yet it leaves this reader with an uncomfortable feeling. Perhaps it was meant to?

3.5 stars rounded up

I have to say that I had high hopes for The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld. However I found that, although I was well into it, I couldn’t really relate to any of the characters. Usually I thoroughly enjoy a storyline alternating between characters and timelines but, I found this narrative too disjointed to got to know the personalities. I loved the descriptions of the locations but, unfortunately I gave up half way through. Just not for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read the book.

The Bass Rock created a major buzz when it was first released. Reading around I realized I wasn't quite ready yet in September. I needed a little bit more time after moving, I needed to make sure I was settled before I read something I suspected would be unsettling. I was correct, for once. The Bass Rock is a shattering, brilliant book. Thanks to Pantheon and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It doesn't happen often that I have as strong a visceral reaction after finishing a book as I did when I finished The Bass Rock. I sat with the tension and I could feel it racing through my body. With the danger of entering TMI territory, I ended up throwing up. I had read the final third of the book in one, almost frantic go, propelled forward by the story until the final sentence. I may have entered TMI territory but I intend to stay far away from spoiler territory. However, that final chapter was a gut punch. Throughout the narratives of Wyld's main three women, we get the stories of anonymous women throughout time, running, cowering, trusting, fighting. Almost like punctuation, they relentlessly enforce and emphasize Wyld's themes. Violence against women permeates this novel and although for some readers it could be too much, it is a testament to Wyld's writing and intent that it never feels sensational or purposeless.

The Bass Rock is divided into four sections, one dedicated to each of the three main characters, Sarah, Ruth and Viv, and one to the unnamed women of the past. These stories intertwine here or there, ghostly touches that connect one woman to the next. All three women are haunted, all three women are struggling with issues unique to their time-period and timeless issues. Whereas Ruth and Viv's narratives are from their points of view, we're slightly more distant from Sarah as her story is told to us through a boy. It was an interesting choice to put us at a remove from her, since her time period is already so distant to most. What it does is draw a different response from the reader, make them look at her sideways. Viv is something of a "messy" character, often self-sabotaging yet good at heart. Through her we also meet her sister, mother and a stranger, Maggie. The latter is a revelation. She is definitely, maybe, probably a witch. Her wildness allows Wyld to make her anger, frustration and despair palpable and audible and there was on specific speech of hers I had to sit with for an hour or so to let it sink in. Ruth is very controlled and on edge when we first meet her. By the end she is no less on edge but some of her control has slipped. She reacts more, emotes more, tries to build connections to the women and the world around her. As The Bass Rock crescendos towards it conclusion, the tension in all three narratives ramps up. You will hope for the best for all these women, while understanding that "the best" is hard to define.

Evie Wyld writes brilliantly. Whether it is Maggie's frantic, heavy speeches or the quiet yet stormy sea, Wyld is able to write it all. This book will suck you in and it will hold you in suspense throughout. Mixing a Gothic atmosphere with historical fiction and contemporary drama, Wyld finds a great balance. The Bass Rock is not an easy book and it will prove tough to some readers, but God is it rewarding. Whether it is recognizing the urge to break something or feeling the fear of a threatening text, The Bass Rock will resonate with you. All of Wyld's women deal with loss, sadness, anger and hope. They all desire to do better, to make a difference, to wake up good , to be free and safe. Reading this book felt like a high-stake situation, it felt like I was on the edge of something. As a reader you have to be aware of this tension and you have to guide yourself through it, take a breath whenever you can. But you will never be able to resist going back to The Bass Rock. Like the rock in its title, this novel has a magic pull, an elemental charisma, which has catapulted Evie Wyld to the top of my list of authors.

The Bass Rock is a book that will shake you. It won't allow you to be comfortable or safe at any point during its 368 pages. Approach it carefully, but approach it nonetheless. The Bass Rock is immensely rewarding.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this e-ARC. I wanted so badly to love this book. Unfortunately, despite the interesting enough synopsis and stunning cover design, I had to DNF this book at around 35%. I made multiple attempts to power through, but the pacing and detachment I felt toward the characters made it too much of a chore for me to continue. I think there is a lot to enjoy in this story, and certainly in the hands of a different reader it will be much loved, but in my particular experience neither the diverging timelines nor the overall plot—though even at a third of the way through I had not a glimpse of a larger narrative—were enough to grab me.

I wanted to like this book but it's just not for me, its very dark without much payoff at the end it was quite hard to finish

Wow-what a powerful book! Set in a coastal area of Scotland, the book connects three women from three different timelines (the 1700s, post WW2, and modern-day) and leaps from one story to another. Throughout the book, there is an ambiance of danger, fear, confusion, and pervasive violence. In each of these atmospheric and visceral sections, we connect with women navigating their lives with limited information and the threat or experience of violence hovering near. While it's menacing and tense, there are also wonderful/ complex connections of sisterhood throughout- of women finding women they trust to help and learn from. But this is absolutely a horror story of everyday violence, misogyny, and mental anguish from living a life of limited options.

This book was powerful, frightening but rich in detail and insights. It left me reverberating with fear and anger. I won't soon forget it.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

“The Bass Rock’s color looked, from where she stood, as white as the bones. She thought of the birds on its pate, unsettling and landing again.”

Disturbing, dark and gritty. A novel set within the Scottish east coast that intricately weaves three women living within different time periods.

This story primarily focuses on toxic masculinity and trauma. The writing was gorgeously descriptive and atmospheric, but I felt more invested in one of the timelines than I did the others. I think I set my expectations for this one too high before going in.

If you enough gothic literature I would say give this one a go.

A powerful novel which looks at the lives of various women scatered through the centuries - Viviane, a troubled 20th century soul[ Ruth stepmother to two young bys in the wake of the loss of her brother in WWII; Sarah, a young woman accused of witchcraft - interspersed with vignettes of various women who have been the subject of male violence and subjugation.

In the course of their stories (and before the reader enters their lives) Viviane, Ruth and Sarah are all subjected to various forms of male violence and coercion and there is much in their situations that will drive the reader to impotent rage. The men in their lives are self-centred, domineering and abusive. The exceptions are Antony lost to the violence of war and Viviane's father, the likely victim of abuse at boarding school.

There are few examples of men behaving honestly in this portrayal. Besides the violence, there is betrayal and deceit. Women have to find ways to survive and receive little support from men.

Wyld deliberately omits some detail and the reader is left to fill in the grotesque gaps. The violence is often graphic but also understated. The women are not just victims but fighting for a sense of self. Maggie, a friend of Viviane's, is the only one to state openly her rage at the violence meted out to women and describes the murder of women as the work of a serial murderer. She fears being regarded as a madwoman for expressing her views and the threat of being consigned to a 'sanatorium' is a constant threat to Ruth.

Their stories are separated by time but linked by location. The Bass Rock stands as silent witness to the outrages performed in the book. Yet, there is beauty in this story. Viviane's story is darkly comic and Ruth's story lyrical in its description of the landscape in the midst of a family saga but then they are survivors.

Ruth and Viviane both find solace and support in the company of women. And there lies the hope.

The Bass Rock made so many favorites lists and I went into it suspecting it may make mine too! But alas... Honestly, this book was perfectly fine but I missed whatever bowled over so many other readers. What does The Bass Rock promise to do? Follow three women in different points of time as they navigate life especially in their opposition to men in their life. What does it do? Exactly that! I don’t feel like I have any reason to be disappointed but it lacked anything truly exceptional for me.

As the story followed each woman, I was sucked into that singular story and felt “wow, yes... this is the story I want a full novel from” but then would get ripped away onto the next focus. The multiple viewpoints from different points in time is a big trend right now but honestly, it doesn’t usually do anything for me and it didn’t do anything for me here. I’m interested to read other takes on it but for me, it felt like the White Feminism “we are the daughters of the witches you couldn’t burn” quote made into an okay novel. Not bad but not the “gothic masterpiece” I had set myself up to expect.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.