[3] The novel is set for the most part in North Berwick opposite the eponymous Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth in Scotland, where three women are linked across the centuries, Sarah, Ruth and Viv.

The Reverend Jon Brown appears to have an unhealthy interest in Michael and Christopher and tragedy befalls him, as Ruth's mental state is parlous.

Viviane, a contemporary narrator is a fortyish woman with a history of alcoholism and mental illness and has been given the task of clearing her grandmother Ruth's house.

The elegant patterning of the novel's structure and the delicate links between the three narrative threads stand in contrast to the brutal material... the novel is also psychologically fearless and, in Viviane's sections, bitterly funny.

"[4] Yvonne C. Garrett in The Brooklyn Rail also praises the novel: "Wyld's descriptions of the shadowed interiors of the house and the vast rocky beaches with the Bass Rock and its lighthouse bring great depth to the novel.

But this is not simply a gothic novel or a catalogue of horrors, there are moments of deep tenderness between parents and children, between women, and even a few good laughs (particularly in the interactions between Viv and a distantly related real estate agent).

"[5] Stuart Kelly writing in The Scotsman: "Certain images chime, or rather toll, over the centuries: stinkhorns, pineapples, pet dogs, quite a lot of rotting flesh and oddly enough 300 years of poor cuisine in Scotland.

The twist, the lure, of the book is made explicit in a speech given by a quirky woman, Maggie, whom Viv meets in the present and who seems a fey if earthy presence.