The Vast by Matt Wildasin delves into the somber depths of a man’s inner turmoil. As he grapples with the burdens that bind him, the pressing question remains: Can he find solace and heal before the darkness consumes him entirely?
CW: Death of a parent, child abuse, rape, mental health, and more.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on The Vast by Matt Wildasin –
Wow, this one left me reeling — I’m still catching my breath. Trying to write a review for The Vast has been an ongoing struggle for over a week now. It’s a book I wholeheartedly recommend going into as dark as possible. If you’d like to learn more, I will leave some high level notes below!
While the narrative has a captivating cosmic and supernatural glamour, it’s evident that many elements are deeply-rooted in the author’s personal experiences. Reviewing this book has been a challenge because I felt connected to many of the situations in the story.
From the black sludge seeping in and the terror that comes when you know you’re slipping into the darkness in your mind, to things like believing every command when young but learning how to work against them when you’re older, each moment resonated, transporting me back to my own darkest memories.
The darkness in this tale is richly layered and incredibly captivating. The body horror was particularly striking, while the pulse-pounding action and relentless terror kept me eagerly anticipating what was to come anytime I had to set it down.
Matt also has some really fun elements where he turns mental health-related things into physical creations. Just one example of that was the main character’s physical search for his intrusive thoughts.
And my goodness, when the main character meets the woman smoking, one of her blunt comments will hit you like a ton of bricks.
The Vast masterfully balances darkness and horror with the glimmer of resilience and the pursuit of closure. For those familiar with the depths of depression, it offers a uniquely resonant journey, ultimately leaving you in a happy place. For those unacquainted with depression, it’s a fun and captivating exploration of grief and cosmic horror.
My Favorite Passages from The Vast –
Suddenly, it all went dark as the sound of a single footstep echoed through the wall.
As Mark sat there in the sand, feeling its dampness soak into his clothes and against his skin, he witnessed a foreboding sight. Lightning snaked from between the clouds and struck the tossing ocean like an elongated crooked finger. Thunder cracked and rolled over the sky, forcing Mark to scramble to his feet.
The boy didn’t reply; instead, he continued to pluck petals until the flower was bald, then discarded the corpse. Mark watched as the boy eyed up a bunch of purple Cornflowers swaying in the breeze on his other side, then snatched up a handful. He yanked at their tiny petals too.
A folded piece of lined paper sat between the two men. It was yellowed enough to alter the blue lines, making them appear green. The bubbly tight-knit lettering on the note was somewhat visible through the thin paper. Mark’s name was on the front of the letter, written in the same bloated font that comprised the body of the paper. A few hearts floated around his name.
“…Well…I guess it’s always going to be there. Ya can’t have such a traumatic thing happen to a person and expect there to not be some kind of darkness to stick around.”
“…It’s just, you’ve been hiding things from yourself all your life. Instead of coming to peace with any of it, you’ve buried them and left them to fester for a long, long time. And they want to have a word.”
“With every darkness, there is a light. It might be hard to find; like sometimes the light isn’t very bright or doesn’t carry far, but it’s there.”
My Final Thoughts on The Vast –
If there could only be one book that I recommend to all my horror-reading friends this year, this is it.
Brace yourselves before embarking on this narrative. The journey you’re about to take is quite something and many scenes are going to stick with you for a long time to come.
Thanks for reading!
And a shout-out to Matt for sending me a signed copy to add to my shelves!
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