The Bass Rock

A Novel

By: Evie Wyld

Narrated by: Julie Graham, Ross Anderson, Kristy Strain, full cast

Winner of The Stella Prize

The lives of three women weave together across centuries in this dazzling new novel.

Sarah, accused of being a witch, is fleeing for her life.

Ruth, in the aftermath of World War II, is navigating a new marriage and the strange waters of the local community.

Six decades later, Viv, still mourning the death of her father, is cataloging Ruth’s belongings in Ruth’s now-empty house.

As each woman’s story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that their choices are circumscribed, in ways big and small, by the men who seek to control them. But in sisterhood there is also the possibility of survival and a new way of life. Intricately crafted and compulsively readable, The Bass Rock burns bright with love and fury - a devastating indictment of violence against women and an empowering portrait of their resilience through the ages.

©2020 Evie Wyld (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A multilayered masterpiece; vivid, chilling, leaping jubilantly through space and time, it’s a jaw dropping novel that confirms Wyld as one of our most gifted young writers.” (Alex Preston, Observer [UK])

“A haunting survival tale that lingers long after the last page... Steeped in grief and teeming with ghosts, Wyld’s new novel explores violence against women throughout time.... A sense of foreboding hangs over the novel like a shroud...Time and time again, Wyld artfully proves the female body knows (even if the mind won’t accept) the dangers lurking all around." (Kirkus Reviews)

“The modern sections feel a little like Ali Smith’s novels crossed with the TV series Fleabag... There’s much to admire in its little miracles of observation.... Wyld is also wonderful at describing moments of sudden lust and violence. And she knows how to maintain suspense, what to withhold and when to reveal it - right up to the spine-chilling last line." (Johanna Thomas-Corr, The Sunday Times)

Ending was confusing

I may be thickheaded, but I dutifully listen to every word over the span of three days and I cannot for the life of me understand the ending of this book.

Couldn’t tolerate the priest’s voice!

I found the book hard to follow, as the action takes place at several times. This would be better to read in print. Also, the voice the narrator chose for the Welsh priest seemed way overdone. I found it painful to listen to.

Boring

It’s very rare that I stop in the middle of a book but I couldn’t take it anymore. There’s slow books that are filled with meaning and depth and there’s books like this that are confusing and unorganized