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paulabrandon's review against another edition
3.0
This is a difficult one to review, as it's a little outside my usual reading preferences! It was in the crime section in the bookstore, and sounded interesting in that respect. However, the author has previously been the winner of the Miles Franklin award, which would suggest a more literary novel. Upon reading it, it definitely has a literary bent, driven by description and character, as opposed to your standard crime novel that is driven more by plot.
For me, I read for good stories and interesting characters, not for the joy of prose. While The Bass Rock has all three, it was sometimes quite impenetrable for me. The first 50 pages or so were quite the struggle, but the more I read, indeed, the more I became caught up with the story.
The Bass Rock explores the lives of three different women in various periods of time in the same area. First is Sarah, accused of being a witch in the 1700s. She is rescued from a rape by a near-outcast pastor and goes on the run with him and a small band of his followers, including his son, Joseph (who is actually the narrator of these chapters.)
Second is Ruth, set after the second world war, who has married the widowed Peter and looking after his children (while they're home from boarding school), while Peter spends most of his time at work. Left on her own a lot, Ruth befriends the cook, Betty, and allow's Betty's niece Bernadette to live with them. Ruth is also encourages to befriend the locals and "fit in" more.
Third is Viv, Ruth's granddaughter, who has gone to the house after a breakdown, to catalogue Ruth's belongings. She befriends Maggie, who it turns out to be a drifter and sex worker. She quickly develops a strange relationship with Victor, a man she meets at the shops. She also has a somewhat strained relationship with her sister, Katherine.
The book explores how women's lives are affected by the men around them. Even the good ones leave an indelible mark on them. (Ruth's brother, Viv's father, Sarah's rescuer.) We then become witness to how women are subject to sexual harassment, intimidation, violence and sexual violence, and sometimes remain silent and complicit because society expects them to act a certain way, no matter what decade it might be. Of course, this is revealed to us bit by bit amongst a lot of flowery "literary" writing.
There are brief flashes of the supernatural. Although Ruth and Viv's stories are linked through family, the chapters involving Sarah aren't connected, other than by geographical location and violence against women. Mainly reading commercial and trope-laden fiction that likes to tie things up nicely at the end, means I was left hanging by the many unanswered questions left dangling by the end of this one.
Clearly, this book is confidently and assuredly written. It will generate much debate if, say, read for high school, college or book club. You could discuss your interpretations of the material endlessly, and muse on what you think happened to the characters, or what, amongst many others.
You see, things don't tie up a neat bow at the end. Should all books do this? No, of course not. But where I live, a new print edition of a book usually costs $30. I use reading as an escape. So much about real life is uncertain, I enjoy fiction that takes me to another place/world but also provides me with all the answers to what's going on in that place/world. For $30 here, I indeed got sucked into another world, quite vividly, but left me too many unanswered questions at the end for me to be in any way satisfied. This is just personal preference, of course, but if I'm plonking down 30 bucks to enter another author's world, I want that author to explain themselves, not just leave me at the end to decide how I think things turned out and how they're connected. (Indeed, I pay money exactly so I don't have to do that.)
I read quite a few other reviews once I finished to see if they could clarify the many lingering questions I had, and that made it doubly clear that the book was open to so many interpretations. For example, the book has several interludes of violence that has been perpetrated against seemingly anonymous women. A lot of readers mention these anonymous women as examples of how voiceless women have been victims of violence across centuries. However, I was fairly certain these vignettes related to violence perpetrated against the more minor female characters in the book, such as Joseph's sister and mother, and particularly Mary, Bernadette's mother.
See what I mean? You can take a hundred different things away from the book.
The Bass Rock is definitely the type of book to leave you thinking about for days afterwards, and if you pick it for your book club, you'll have a ton of material to discuss! Just look at the messy, tangential nature of my review! Very well-written, but as a lass who likes their stories to tie together way more than this one does, the book ultimately wasn't for me.
For me, I read for good stories and interesting characters, not for the joy of prose. While The Bass Rock has all three, it was sometimes quite impenetrable for me. The first 50 pages or so were quite the struggle, but the more I read, indeed, the more I became caught up with the story.
The Bass Rock explores the lives of three different women in various periods of time in the same area. First is Sarah, accused of being a witch in the 1700s. She is rescued from a rape by a near-outcast pastor and goes on the run with him and a small band of his followers, including his son, Joseph (who is actually the narrator of these chapters.)
Second is Ruth, set after the second world war, who has married the widowed Peter and looking after his children (while they're home from boarding school), while Peter spends most of his time at work. Left on her own a lot, Ruth befriends the cook, Betty, and allow's Betty's niece Bernadette to live with them. Ruth is also encourages to befriend the locals and "fit in" more.
Third is Viv, Ruth's granddaughter, who has gone to the house after a breakdown, to catalogue Ruth's belongings. She befriends Maggie, who it turns out to be a drifter and sex worker. She quickly develops a strange relationship with Victor, a man she meets at the shops. She also has a somewhat strained relationship with her sister, Katherine.
The book explores how women's lives are affected by the men around them. Even the good ones leave an indelible mark on them. (Ruth's brother, Viv's father, Sarah's rescuer.) We then become witness to how women are subject to sexual harassment, intimidation, violence and sexual violence, and sometimes remain silent and complicit because society expects them to act a certain way, no matter what decade it might be. Of course, this is revealed to us bit by bit amongst a lot of flowery "literary" writing.
There are brief flashes of the supernatural. Although Ruth and Viv's stories are linked through family, the chapters involving Sarah aren't connected, other than by geographical location and violence against women. Mainly reading commercial and trope-laden fiction that likes to tie things up nicely at the end, means I was left hanging by the many unanswered questions left dangling by the end of this one.
Clearly, this book is confidently and assuredly written. It will generate much debate if, say, read for high school, college or book club. You could discuss your interpretations of the material endlessly, and muse on what you think happened to the characters, or what
Spoiler
Maggie said to Dom that made him magically abandon his plans of violence at the wakeYou see, things don't tie up a neat bow at the end. Should all books do this? No, of course not. But where I live, a new print edition of a book usually costs $30. I use reading as an escape. So much about real life is uncertain, I enjoy fiction that takes me to another place/world but also provides me with all the answers to what's going on in that place/world. For $30 here, I indeed got sucked into another world, quite vividly, but left me too many unanswered questions at the end for me to be in any way satisfied. This is just personal preference, of course, but if I'm plonking down 30 bucks to enter another author's world, I want that author to explain themselves, not just leave me at the end to decide how I think things turned out and how they're connected. (Indeed, I pay money exactly so I don't have to do that.)
I read quite a few other reviews once I finished to see if they could clarify the many lingering questions I had, and that made it doubly clear that the book was open to so many interpretations. For example, the book has several interludes of violence that has been perpetrated against seemingly anonymous women. A lot of readers mention these anonymous women as examples of how voiceless women have been victims of violence across centuries. However, I was fairly certain these vignettes related to violence perpetrated against the more minor female characters in the book, such as Joseph's sister and mother, and particularly Mary, Bernadette's mother.
See what I mean? You can take a hundred different things away from the book.
The Bass Rock is definitely the type of book to leave you thinking about for days afterwards, and if you pick it for your book club, you'll have a ton of material to discuss! Just look at the messy, tangential nature of my review! Very well-written, but as a lass who likes their stories to tie together way more than this one does, the book ultimately wasn't for me.
mouthoflethe's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? No
5.0
murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Some striking depictions of violence against women, but I wanted more from the motif of the Bass Rock.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Stalking
sarahf14's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
starrynightsandfirelight's review
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hermesreads's review against another edition
4.0
This book is known to be marketed as a gothic novel which can be very disappointing for some people, in a way. In fact, Wyld’s ambitious writing is more focused on these three women, Sarah, Ruth and Viviane and their choices being limited by the men in their lives. The atmosphere is eerie due to the presence of the Bass Rock set amidst the Scottish North Berwick coast, witnessing misogyny and toxic masculinity. Wyld explores the encounter between the male psyche and women and gives us a dark reality in this modern gothic novel : the terrors and monstruous things the supernatural might gives us is nothing compared to the harsh, abusive, violent and destroying men a woman could meet in her lifetime.
I absolutely adored this immersive and beautifully written book and would highly recommend.
I absolutely adored this immersive and beautifully written book and would highly recommend.
luiseaufderwiese's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
read the content warnings before reading this book, it’s a very graphic writing style and this really threw me off
ljutavidra's review
5.0
Uff.
Odmah da vam kažem da bi približniji žanr ove knjige bio tihi horor. Onaj tihi horor koji se odvijao vekovima, koji se odvija i dan-danas. Horor čiji smo svedoci, učesnici, horor za koji smo čuli.
Ivi Vajld ume da napiše opasno dobru knjigu. Videla sam to sa "Sve ptice pevaju", i sada je definitivno utemeljila svoje umeće. Njene rečenice mi se podvuku pod kožu, izvrnu je naopačke, i onda je trapavo vraćaju nazad. Pokušaju da je poravnaju, ali ne može.
Jedina mana je što mi je tematika njenih knjiga toliko teška da se ne usuđujem da ih opet čitam. Psihički i fizički ne mogu. Povede vas na takav put, na tu tihu torturu, i sačeka vas odmah na kraju prvog poglavlja sa podsmehom. Jer niste to očekivali.
Ova knjiga je brutalna, mučna, teška. Životi ovih žena su tragični do te mere da ne znate više šta ćete sa sobom. Skoro nisam pročitala nešto što na ovako jednostavan način predstavlja činjenice zašto nam je feminizam preko potreban. I žene su živa bića. Kad će svet to shvatiti? Kad će to postati nešto što se podrazumeva? Kad će nas shvatiti ozbiljno?
Čitajte ako imate stomak za ovo, čitajte i ako nemate. Možda nećete sve razumeti, ali progledaćete nakon ovoga sigurno.
Odmah da vam kažem da bi približniji žanr ove knjige bio tihi horor. Onaj tihi horor koji se odvijao vekovima, koji se odvija i dan-danas. Horor čiji smo svedoci, učesnici, horor za koji smo čuli.
Ivi Vajld ume da napiše opasno dobru knjigu. Videla sam to sa "Sve ptice pevaju", i sada je definitivno utemeljila svoje umeće. Njene rečenice mi se podvuku pod kožu, izvrnu je naopačke, i onda je trapavo vraćaju nazad. Pokušaju da je poravnaju, ali ne može.
Jedina mana je što mi je tematika njenih knjiga toliko teška da se ne usuđujem da ih opet čitam. Psihički i fizički ne mogu. Povede vas na takav put, na tu tihu torturu, i sačeka vas odmah na kraju prvog poglavlja sa podsmehom. Jer niste to očekivali.
Ova knjiga je brutalna, mučna, teška. Životi ovih žena su tragični do te mere da ne znate više šta ćete sa sobom. Skoro nisam pročitala nešto što na ovako jednostavan način predstavlja činjenice zašto nam je feminizam preko potreban. I žene su živa bića. Kad će svet to shvatiti? Kad će to postati nešto što se podrazumeva? Kad će nas shvatiti ozbiljno?
Čitajte ako imate stomak za ovo, čitajte i ako nemate. Možda nećete sve razumeti, ali progledaćete nakon ovoga sigurno.
whosjessanyway's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
An important, difficult read. It will make you sad and angry. It will make you look away from the pages. Very smart writing style in the way the author plays with foreshadowing and connections between these three women and timelines. This book is going to stick with me.
I can't articulate it, 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence