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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Lyrical and evocative
This is the kind of book you need to read in long bursts, and not picked up each night in bed (as I did). Whilst Wyld’s prose is masterful (I can understand why this book won the Stella Prize), I was often confused who the characters were, and how they related to each other. To complicate things further, there were multiple stories within the book from different timelines. Often, but not always, the Bass Rock was the linking mechanism, but the story is ultimately about women’s power (or, more appropriately, the lack of it). There were a couple of scenes which appeared to have no context to the main stories of Ruth, Viviane and Sarah, but perhaps I just missed the connection. The powerful rendering of Ruth and Viviane’s stories would have been enough for me, as I found these other scenes of violence against women overkill and a distraction. I thoroughly enjoyed the storylines of Ruth, Viviane and, to a lesser degree, Sarah, which were evocative and, at times, lyrical. There’s no doubt that Evie Wyld is an extremely talented writer and I revelled in her prose.
This is the kind of book you need to read in long bursts, and not picked up each night in bed (as I did). Whilst Wyld’s prose is masterful (I can understand why this book won the Stella Prize), I was often confused who the characters were, and how they related to each other. To complicate things further, there were multiple stories within the book from different timelines. Often, but not always, the Bass Rock was the linking mechanism, but the story is ultimately about women’s power (or, more appropriately, the lack of it). There were a couple of scenes which appeared to have no context to the main stories of Ruth, Viviane and Sarah, but perhaps I just missed the connection. The powerful rendering of Ruth and Viviane’s stories would have been enough for me, as I found these other scenes of violence against women overkill and a distraction. I thoroughly enjoyed the storylines of Ruth, Viviane and, to a lesser degree, Sarah, which were evocative and, at times, lyrical. There’s no doubt that Evie Wyld is an extremely talented writer and I revelled in her prose.
2/5
en oikei tiiä mitä tää kirja yritti olla x) ja jotenki mua ei yhtää kiinnostanu nää hahmot ja miehet tuntu jotenki etäiseltä eikä ihmisiltä lainkaan - ois lisänny syvyyttä jos ne ois vaikuttanu enemmän ihmisiltä. tuntu vähän pakkopullalta lukee tää loppuun mutta ihan tunnelmallinen ja silleeeeee. ja se ”mystiikkaelementti” tuntu vaa vitun oudolta ja irralliselta haloo XD
en oikei tiiä mitä tää kirja yritti olla x) ja jotenki mua ei yhtää kiinnostanu nää hahmot ja miehet tuntu jotenki etäiseltä eikä ihmisiltä lainkaan - ois lisänny syvyyttä jos ne ois vaikuttanu enemmän ihmisiltä. tuntu vähän pakkopullalta lukee tää loppuun mutta ihan tunnelmallinen ja silleeeeee. ja se ”mystiikkaelementti” tuntu vaa vitun oudolta ja irralliselta haloo XD
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early September.
Right away, you get the sense that the narrators for each chapter are particular, gloomy, and want their share of what happy normality is meant for them, yet in a way that's complacently dull. But, then, there's an English witch trial thrown in and you gradually realize, no, it's this view of the ocean that they all have in common and that they're averting their eyes from something grisly and wild from the outside of their own mortal coil.
Right away, you get the sense that the narrators for each chapter are particular, gloomy, and want their share of what happy normality is meant for them, yet in a way that's complacently dull. But, then, there's an English witch trial thrown in and you gradually realize, no, it's this view of the ocean that they all have in common and that they're averting their eyes from something grisly and wild from the outside of their own mortal coil.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence
3.5 or something like that. I fully enjoyed the experience of reading this, but the ending left me unsatisfied. I am left with threads that don't connect-- like who was the body in the suitcase? I spent the whole book waiting to connect the anonymous snippets scattered throughout to the stories of the main women: Sarah, Ruth, and Viv. Having read other reviews, I now understand that these anonymous women are the voices of the women throughout centuries near the bass rock that have been subjected to mistreatment and violence from men. This commentary fell a bit flat for me, that overall message of the suffocating hold toxic masculinity has had on women's lives. Maybe it just didn't fully come to fruition like it was meant to? The supernatural bits seemed weak as well. What else... idk, it felt messy but I didn't come to that realization until after I had finished reading. I liked it, but I wish I could have liked it more.