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Steve Stred's Reviews > The Vast
The Vast
by
by
*Huge thanks to Matt for sending me a digital copy of this one!*
Over the last few years, I’ve read a number of Wildasin’s works and have grown to really enjoy the way he tells his stories. That’s always one thing I love about reading as widely as possible – discovering so many unique voices and cadences, so many ways of crafting prose and creating a story. Wildasin infuses his work with a world-weary drawl, a sense that just under the surface, things are tense, and with this one, ‘The Vast,’ it may very well be the most suffocating story he’s created yet.
What I liked: The authors note beforehand lays out what to expect. Real life’s not been easy for Wildasin and this book reflects just that. We then get thrown into the deep end, a man wakes in a room, a room he never wanted to return to, but is there regardless, and from that point on, the story details his fight to survive.
Wildasin has done a remarkable job of fictionalizing anxiety and depression. Of showcasing the internal fight many of us battle between our brains and what our eyes see. Our main character wants to live, but he doesn’t. He wants to do everything that it takes to put hardship behind, but he doesn’t know how and with each new setback, he feels the crushing weight of failure and darkness.
It’s a harrowing read, one that will connect with each reader in unique, individual ways, and one that chases hope. That was what kept me plugging away – the potential for hope that seemingly shines through the black.
The ending highlights that and I think, in this case, was a great way to wrap things up.
What I didn’t like: While the book reads with emotional context, one difficulty I had was the inability to tangible ground this somewhere. As the story unfolds (mostly within a mental context) there isn’t anything to solidly state “this is where the character is” and makes it tough to determine what events are real, if any, and what we should expect out of the environment and the characters.
Why you should buy this: Books that tackle mental health so specifically head-on can often be a tough sell, as many readers are looking for escape from their own struggles, but Wildasin turns that on its head and offers us a book that alludes to the mental health struggle while throwing the reader into a strange world where people from his past return in various forms. This one is heavy, but a heaviness that makes for a solid, engaging read.
Over the last few years, I’ve read a number of Wildasin’s works and have grown to really enjoy the way he tells his stories. That’s always one thing I love about reading as widely as possible – discovering so many unique voices and cadences, so many ways of crafting prose and creating a story. Wildasin infuses his work with a world-weary drawl, a sense that just under the surface, things are tense, and with this one, ‘The Vast,’ it may very well be the most suffocating story he’s created yet.
What I liked: The authors note beforehand lays out what to expect. Real life’s not been easy for Wildasin and this book reflects just that. We then get thrown into the deep end, a man wakes in a room, a room he never wanted to return to, but is there regardless, and from that point on, the story details his fight to survive.
Wildasin has done a remarkable job of fictionalizing anxiety and depression. Of showcasing the internal fight many of us battle between our brains and what our eyes see. Our main character wants to live, but he doesn’t. He wants to do everything that it takes to put hardship behind, but he doesn’t know how and with each new setback, he feels the crushing weight of failure and darkness.
It’s a harrowing read, one that will connect with each reader in unique, individual ways, and one that chases hope. That was what kept me plugging away – the potential for hope that seemingly shines through the black.
The ending highlights that and I think, in this case, was a great way to wrap things up.
What I didn’t like: While the book reads with emotional context, one difficulty I had was the inability to tangible ground this somewhere. As the story unfolds (mostly within a mental context) there isn’t anything to solidly state “this is where the character is” and makes it tough to determine what events are real, if any, and what we should expect out of the environment and the characters.
Why you should buy this: Books that tackle mental health so specifically head-on can often be a tough sell, as many readers are looking for escape from their own struggles, but Wildasin turns that on its head and offers us a book that alludes to the mental health struggle while throwing the reader into a strange world where people from his past return in various forms. This one is heavy, but a heaviness that makes for a solid, engaging read.
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