A review by abbie_
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.0

I finished The Bass Rock earlier in the week, and while it started out really strong, it ended up only being a middling read for me. I feel like Wyld had a great story with Ruth and Viviane, but then her publisher was like nah I think three would be better, so she had to quickly weave in Sarah’s storyline. It truly felt forgotten about, her share of chapters was nowhere near equal and every time I came across one it’d take me ages to remember what had been happening.

It’s not an easy read, as each of the narratives follows three generations of women, against the backdrop of the Scottish coast, whose lives are constantly being determined by the men in their lives. I found Viviane’s storyline the most compelling, especially with the addition of Maggie, a sex worker down on her luck who pulls no punches. Ruth’s storyline was also engaging, as she struggles to adjust to being a mother figure to her husband’s young boys, still grieving the death of their mother. But at times I thought Wyld was trying to tackle too many tough topics at once and as a result, they weren’t done quite enough justice.

Overall, a slightly muddled read that felt a bit heavy handed at times, but not mad I read it.
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