Podcast: Olivia Recommends Reading “The Bass Rock”
Olivia: So the 2021 winner of the Stella prize was announced as Evie Wyld, for her novel “The Bass Rock”. I’ve been saying it “base rock” for so long, but I’m listening to the audiobook now and it’s apparently pronounced “bass rock”.
Samantha: Hm.
Olivia: My bad.
Samantha: Good to know.
Olivia: Yeah. So it’s a really good novel. It spans four centuries to follow the lives of three different women who have lived near this Scottish natural landmark, the Bass Rock, and how their lives have been- come to be affected by men.
Olivia: Uh, so the judges have praised it for it, um, the, large and diverse cast of characters, and the judges have said this book will leave readers uncertain and questioning, but also full of the imagery and atmosphere Wyld brings to life so masterfully on the page.
Olivia: Um, so has anyone here read “The Bass Rock”?
Ash: I’ve not. But I am intrigued to. It, um … really until I- I heard the announcement. Um, but, uh, I love the cover. It’s got a lot of movement in it, you know with the- with the waves and also the birds in the background as well.
Ash: So, that really got my attention when I looked into it a bit more. And it’s set in Scotland, right?
Olivia: Yeah. And yeah, the same spot like as I said, like the lives of three different women.
Ash: Yeah.
Olivia: And it’s re- it’s really interesting the voice, the tone like between all three of them is very different and it’s really interesting in how it’s narrated and like, I don’t know, it’s like this gorgeous, Gothic, haunting story.
Samantha: Is it interwoven? You’re currently listening to it.
Olivia: Yeah. So it’s kind of like yeah, it- it switches the chapters …
Samantha: Okay, jumps around between them.
Olivia: Yeah and some of them have different perspectives. So like one of them is told from the perspective of like a young man, um, who’s in the life of this young woman.
Samantha: Oh, OK.
Olivia: Yeah. And then some are in like first person and …
Samantha: Yeah, I’m really, I- I love a good interconnected, uh, story, especially this one. It looks very atmospheric you’re saying with the cover, you know, it’s a wave crashing into a cliff. So you know exactly the kind of story you’re in line for.
Ash: Yeah. I love Scotland. Um, and when you said Gothic, I was like, yup, cool, down for it, add that to the list.
Tom: I guess- I guess if there’s ever a time for me to move away from my self-help… only.
Ash: You could try this one Tom. It’s not normally …
Tom: This could be one that I can explore.
Samantha: An award-winning book. It’s a good starting point.
Ash: Yeah.
Tom: Exactly.
Olivia: Um… yeah. So Evie takes home $50,000 in prize money from the Wilson Foundation, um, which is just completely life-changing for any author, especially in Australia.
Olivia: So congrats Evie, and happy reading for anyone who picks up “The Bass Rock”.
Vocabulary:
spans – extends across a specific period of time or a physical distance, “The historical biography spans over three centuries of royal family rule.”
natural landmark – a prominent physical feature of the earth created entirely by nature rather than humans, “Mount Fuji is an iconic natural landmark that attracts millions of visitors to Japan.”
cast of characters – the collective group of people, actors, or personalities involved in a story, play, movie, or event, “The new mystery novel features a large and highly suspicious cast of characters.”
imagery – visually descriptive or figurative language in writing that creates vivid mental pictures for the reader, “The poet uses brilliant winter imagery to describe the freezing, quiet forest.”
masterfully – done with outstanding skill, expert control, or artistic brilliance, “The classical pianist masterfully performed the complicated musical piece without a single mistake.”
intrigued – deeply interested, highly curious, or fascinated by something unusual, “I was incredibly intrigued by the strange, locked wooden box found in the attic.”
narrated – told as a story, or spoken aloud as a commentary for an audiobook, film, or documentary, “The documentary about deep-sea creatures was beautifully narrated by a famous scientist.”
Gothic – a style of writing or architecture characterized by gloomy, mysterious settings, eerie atmospheres, and dramatic, dark elements, “The old, crumbling stone mansion provided the perfect setting for a traditional Gothic novel.”
haunting – beautiful, sad, mysterious, or scary in a powerful way that is completely impossible to forget, “The sad, echoing melody of the violin had a haunting effect on everyone in the room.”
interwoven – closely blended, combined, or twisted together so that individual parts form a single whole, “The two separate plot lines are cleverly interwoven throughout the entire film.”
jumps around – (phrasal verb) moves quickly from one topic, time period, or scene to another without a smooth transition, “The book’s timeline jumps around a lot, which makes it slightly confusing to follow at first.”
perspectives – particular ways of viewing, understanding, or thinking about situations; individual points of view, “Listening to international news can help you understand global issues from different perspectives.”
interconnected – connected with each other, or having individual pieces that relate directly to one another, “The detective quickly realized that the three local crimes were completely interconnected.”
atmospheric – creating a very distinctive, intense, aesthetic, or exciting emotional mood, “The dim candlelight and soft music created an incredibly atmospheric dining experience.”
in line for – (idiom) likely to receive, experience, or obtain something very soon, “After working so hard on the project, she is currently in line for a major promotion.”
down for it – (idiom/informal) enthusiastic, willing, or ready to participate in a specific activity, plan, or idea, “If you are planning a trip to the beach this Saturday, I am completely down for it.”
self-help – a genre of books, videos, or materials meant to help a person improve their own life, habits, or mental well-being, “He regularly reads self-help books to learn how to manage his daily stress effectively.”
life-changing – having such a huge, profound effect that it completely alters a person’s life, future, or circumstances, “Winning the international science scholarship was a truly life-changing event for the student.”