Tower and Town, September 2020

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The Bass Rock, by Evie Wyld

This is Evie Wyld’s third novel and is the story of three women who lived at very different times on the Scottish mainland within sight of the Bass Rock which surges out of the sea. Their lives are however inextricably linked to the place and each other. There is Sarah who was accused of being a witch in the early 1700s, who is fleeing for her life. Ruth, who is navigating a new marriage and the strange ways of the local community just after the Second World War. Fifty years later, Vivienne, whilst mourning the death of her father, is cataloguing her grandmother Ruth’s belongings in the now empty house, which they all knew and which to some is haunted. As each woman’s story unfolds, it becomes clear that their lives are influenced by the men in them, some very controlling – but there are also strong pulls of sisterhood. Evie Wyld came to the Literature Festival in 2011 as one of the LitFest’s debut authors. We were looking forward to having her with us again.

Virginia Reekie