WINNER OF THE STELLA PRIZE - ONE OF VOGUE'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
The lives of three women weave together across centuries in this
dazzling and empowering portrait of their resilience through the ages.
Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has always borne witness to the
lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across
the centuries, the fates of three women are inextricably linked to this
place and to one another: Sarah, accused of being a witch, is fleeing
for her life; Ruth, in the aftermath of the Second World War, is
navigating a new marriage and the strange waters of the local community;
and six decades later, Viv, still mourning the death of her father, is
cataloging Ruth's belongings in the 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.
