The Glut

by Matthew Cash

Free yourself

What would you do if you found out your compulsions were not your fault?
That something else had been controlling you all along?
What would you do if you discovered there was a dark part of you, a part of humanity, that was put there by an entity older than the stars?

Vince is binge-eating himself into an early grave. He cannot resist the voice inside that encourages him to gorge, an instinctive reaction to every strong emotion.
Finding it increasingly more difficult to live with, he vows to do anything to rid himself of it.
Even if it means stooping to new lows and levels of degradation of which he never considered himself capable.

Genres: Horror, Novels

Audible Audio

Published December 12, 2022

About the author

Author Biography

Matthew Cash, or Matty-Bob Cash as he is known to most, was born and raised in Suffolk; which is the setting for his debut novel Pinprick. He is compiler and editor of Death By Chocolate, a chocoholic horror Anthology and the 12Days: STOCKING FILLERS Anthology. In 2016 he launched his own publishing house Burdizzo Books and took shit-hot editor and author Em Dehaney on board to keep him in shape and together they brought into existence SPARKS: an electrical horror anthology, The Reverend Burdizzo’s Hymn Book, Under The Weather* Visions From the Void ** and The Burdizzo Mix Tape Vol. 1.
He has numerous solo releases on Kindle and several collections in paperback.
Originally with Burdizzo Books, the intention was to compile charity anthologies a few times a year but his creation has grown into something so much more powerful *insert mad laughter here*. He is currently working on numerous projects, his third novel FUR was launched in 2018.
*With Back Road Books
** With Jonathan Butcher

He has always written stories since he first learnt to write and most, although not all, tend to slip into the many layered murky depths of the Horror genre.
His influences ranged from when he first started reading to Present day are, to name but a small select few; Roald Dahl, James Herbert, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Stephen Laws, and more recently he enjoys Adam Nevill, F.R Tallis, Michael Bray, Gary Fry, William Meikle and Iain Rob Wright (who featured Matty-Bob in his famous A-Z of Horror title M is For Matty-Bob, plus Matthew wrote his own version of events which was included as a bonus).
He is a father of two, a husband of one and a zoo keeper of numerous fur babies.

You can find him here:
www.facebook.com/pinprickbymatthewcash

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B010MQTWKK


Www.burdizzobooks.com

Reviews

[Corrina Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honoured to receive an ARC of this book and here's what I thought....

OK, So I thought I was pretty hardened to the #slobbypoopoo /gross/disgusting/bodily fluid filled side of extreme horror, it seems I'm not as hardened as I thought! I really struggled to get past the first 15/20% of this book, (in a 'good' way!), when I say I struggled, I mean because of the content, which is so well written, the descriptions so vivid, that I'm really surprised I didn't upchuck all over my kindle!! (If you have a weak stomach - proceed with caution!)😉

We all have an addiction/compulsion to something right? I can relate to the main character in this story, Vince, as I too cannot stop eating! 😉 I eat if I'm hungry, if I'm not, if I'm bored - or not!! So would I do anything to stop myself doing it? Whatever it takes? The answer is NO!! I wouldn't! But Vince would, and does! The ritual he goes through is utterly, utterly vile, disgusting, gross, hideous, nasty, repellent, scuzzy, repugnant and yucky!! 🤮
And what happens after is completely bizarre and brutal!
This story is really well written and absolutely action packed and fast paced! It's disgusting, it's disturbing, and Matts sense of humour had me chuckling the whole way through! (Have you ever laughed/gagged......? You will!! 😂)
This book is 100% in the #slobbypoopoo category and I was completely hooked from page one!! I've read quite a few of Matts books now and this has just become my favourite! 😍

Right, I'm off for a Vaggie Dulux, go buy this book when it's released, you won't regret it!! 😁

[Nat Whiston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew created a story with so many layers, one that looks into control, support and the mental challenges of fighting your demons. We get to follow Vince's journey from the beginning with the depression and the hopelessness. We follow Vince's processes as he tries to come to terms with his weight, his self-loathing and his addiction to food to cope mentally. The storyline doesn't just tackle obesity; it attacks all forms of vice and gluttony and the struggles we face to fight them. It also looks at the lengths people will go to when they are so desperate to conquer their demons but don't have the willpower to fight alone. So of course when, when Vince hits his all-time low, he buys into Henry's ritual fully. My God, that ritual, the bath of all bodily fluids plus extras, yeah, I threw up in my mouth. I was more than a little uncomfortable with that gross scene, and he did a fantastic job at making my skin crawl.
Henry Green seems at first like a guy that happens to fall on the perfect cure. But as his character develops throughout the story, he starts to make money off the scheme. His ambition becomes more twisted. 
It does have a messed up Nutty Professor vibe with occult/cosmic God undertones, which kept me gripped, and my attention was stolen. I could not tell you how much I winced and shuffled uncomfortably while reading. I love the idea of being responsible for your vice, even after relinquishing or overcoming it. No one gets an instant fix without some high cost or clause involved; it takes hard work. Ultimately Matthew touches on the psychological effects of body changes or fighting addiction of any kind. The comet's substory was a stupidly creative touch; I love how it brings the story together and brings The Glut in. Also, the intro to the avatars themselves and the level of depravity was fascinating and well written. He definitely put the EXTREME in extreme horror, with the blood, gore and violent scenes. I loved every second of this book, including the Godzilla style reveal of The Glut. The epilogue completes the story beautifully and adds the story's moral element to the whole book. This thought-provoking horror explores addiction, health and willpower in one massive, compelling read.

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delves into the question of what would you do to get rid of your vice, whether that be drugs, sex or food.
It's a brilliant combination of cosmic horror, gore and body horror.
I was pleasantly surprised with the direction the book went, I thought it was going to go a completely different way and I loved every word of it!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I'm not going to give you the 'what this book is about' blurb - you can read that elsewhere.


1. Woof. It takes A LOT to gross me out, but Matty Bob found a way. His graphic description of the ritual Vince goes through to rid himself of his binge-eating disorder…total barf. I had to put the book down and walk away for a couple of minutes, and it was AWESOME. However, this one may not work for you if you have a weak stomach. Or, just skip that part because it’s not super integral to the story, and this one is good enough to read without the gross parts 😊

2. Loved all the characters! When someone is writing a book where very human flaws are the main point of the story, and they’re still able to write characters that people relate to and enjoy, that’s something special.

3. Toward the end, it got a little Cosmic/Bizarro, which I wasn’t expecting but didn’t hate. I guess I should have put that together when the description said ‘an entity older than the stars’ but I didn’t. It was weird but also enjoyable.

4. *Potential Spoiler* The ending. Ugh, it was so not what I was hoping for but simultaneously so touching. Going back to my 2nd point – the ending was very human, raw, and hopeful. Just a nice reminder that everyone is worthy, which you don’t always get with horror/splatterpunk/extreme plotlines. I wouldn’t want every book I read to have such an ending, but DAMN I’m glad this one did.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very scared to start reading this book. The cover is vile, and seeing other reviewers comment how nasty it was (and these folks have stomachs of steel usually), my belly filled with trepidation.

Ready to finally start, I fasted and detoxed, ready to start reading on a liquid diet of strictly water and ginger ale. This was surely the answer to getting through this book.

I went to the mountains, hiking in nature for one more day in case my psyche cracked amongst the pages of “The Glut”. Checking into a hotel that evening where no one knew the journey of horror I was about to embark on…. I turned to the first page…



Vince is shockingly obese, unmotivated to follow his years of diet research and physicians’ advice. His health is ailing and he must do something drastic. This may lead to the end of the world as we know it…

Poor Vince, who hasn’t eaten their emotions at one point? Things got pretty nasty around the Chapter 10 mark, but I persevered!

Favourite Line(s): “He eats when he is happy. He eats when he is sad. He eats when he is angry. He eats when he is bored. Almost every strong emotion is a reason to gorge himself.”

Also I learned a new word: Brobdingnagian

[Lindsay Crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Glut!!

Once I started this one I couldn't put it down. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this.
Faced with the option off ridding yourself of your addiction/vice would you do regardless of the consequences? The Glut was the perfect mix of gore and weird.
The cover sold me on it but the story kept me invested.

[Leanne Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant... I read it in 2 goes, and would have most likely read it all in one if Covid wasn't kicking my ass! It touches on some sensitive aspects for those of us who struggle with our weight, but I can safely say that I would NEVER go to the lengths of these characters in order to lose weight. I would rather be fat, thanks 😂 Really interesting take on that little demon that seemingly controls the addictive sides of our personalities, and although it is incredibly gross in parts, I would highly recommend reading The Glut.

[Christina Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Mirko Liang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and brutal. This is what I call ‘entertaining horror’. It reminded me of one of those body-creature horror movies of the 80s, like Basket Case or Society The Horror. An amalgam of body horror and splatter about addiction, The Glut has a smooth prose and it reads fairly well. I sometimes have problems reading British authors but this was not the case. I like the first part better, before it the whole story becomes grandiose in scope, just like Basket Case I hoped it would stay small but it’s still entertaining the way it is.

[Stephanie E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before starting this review, I want to mention what drew me to this book. I saw a book reviewer talk about it, that it touches on obesity, the struggles behind eating disorders and food addiction, and how that ties in with the public perspective of obese individuals. I don't hear that perspective much in extreme horror, so I was immediately intrigued by this book.

I absolutely loved the beginning of it. We meet Vince, a man who weighs 32-stone (448 pounds). Vince tried every diet and weight loss method imaginable to lose the excess weight, but he went back to over-eating. Knowing his health was failing, he was desperate to find a solution. This is when he noticed another regular at the weight loss clinic, Henry, had dropped significant weight. Vince forces Henry to discuss his secret, and it is too disgusting and otherworldly to believe. Still, Vince tried it--and it worked. However, the weight loss method of choice comes with some dire outcomes.

As stated previously, I love how this book touches on the addictive and psychological part of overeating, still weaving it in with a splatterpunk trope. The book has bizarro elements that make it an interesting read. The problem is that it came to the point where Matthew Cash went a little too far with the bizarro elements. At about the halfway point, the book lost its allure for me and focused more on the bizarro part and not the initial concept of the story. The story improved toward the end, and it does make sense that Cash went in this direction, but he lost me for a large chunk of the story. That's why I only gave this book three stars.

There are some serious triggers here. If you've dealt with obesity, eating disorders, and overeating, then this book will be really difficult to read. And if you have issues with vomit, urine, and feces, you're not going to enjoy Vince's weight loss method. There is some physical violence here but isn't as severe as other books in this genre. This book mainly sticks to the bizarro and paranormal elements, so it would make the violent scenes a little easier to read.

Would I recommend this book? Cash is a good writer, and this is a very unique book. I recommend it more to bizarro fans; I have to be biased, I'm not the biggest bizarro enthusiast, which is why Cash lost me. Otherwise, this is one of the better books I read in the genre.

[Mark Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

You are what you eat…

Vince is morbidly obese.
In actual fact he is more than that.
He is massive.
When he meets an old acquaintance from the Weight Loss clinic, who has since shed all of his weight, Vince begs his old friend Henry to tell him how he did it.
Which is when Henry tells him about The Glut - a creature living inside him that compels him to eat - along with a ritual that will help Vince remove it from his body.
At first Vince us sceptical, but then he performs the ritual and the weight almost immediately starts dropping off.
But as Vince is about to learn, nothing comes without a price…
Matthew Cash is a very talented writer, and here he has somehow come up with something totally original that I, for one, have never seen done before.
With plenty of twists and turns along the way, Matthew’s book constantly surprised me and there were whole moments where I didn’t have a clue where any of all this was going, right up and until the very climatic end.
If I had one complaint, it is that I felt the ending was a little bit rushed, but I simply love the way this book ends on a positive message, whilst trying to say something about the perils of addiction, no matter what form it comes in.
It’s not for the squeamish - there are plenty of highly descriptive passages that will turn away some, and the ritual itself that Vince performs is positively disgusting - but if you have a strong stomach, you will find a lot here to enjoy.
Easily one of Matthew’s best books to date.

[Lula Von Goth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Glut by Matty-Bob Cash is easily one on my favourite reads this year!
The amount of twists and turns in this book means that to describe how it begins and ends you would think it was totally different stories were being described.
There is gore and absolute horror, but this book isn’t actually about that… woven within every sentence is such a huge message that firstly people are never who they seem to be on the surface, but also everyone is fighting their own battles and even the ones that seem perfect are swallowing their own demons.
It makes you actually look at yourself internally, and not many books have the power to do this.
The characters are incredibly well built and even the bad guys have a touch of humanity that shines through.

[Kelly Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have met Vince before in another series. I'm really happy that he got his own book and that I could find out more about this character. I can completely relate to Vince with his food addiction. It is something that I have really struggled with and if offered the same choice I would probably go for it maybe not reading the rest of the book but I completely understand that desperation when nothing else has ever worked. 


Matthew has really tapped in to addictions, especially the ones like food where you can't just avoid it because you actually need it to live. 


This was a grim read but I also love how Matthew mixes in humour.

[Ron F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Glut is Matthew Cash at the top of his game. Incredibly well written, great story and character development. The pace doesn’t let up for a second and there are many layers here- what an incredibly enjoyable book. A must read

[Kayleigh Dobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it, even though it's super gross in some places lol

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book, yes it was full of nasty scenes that are certainly not for the faint of heart but the overall story was truly honestly incredible. It dove into the psychology of each character and puts forth the question what would you do to be rid of the monkey on your back! The writing is incredible and I have become a lifelong Matthew cash fan after reading 2 of his books. So in short this book is dirty, nasty, grim, amazing, thought provoking and incredibly written. 10/10

[Juan Vizcarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is coming from someone who used to be over 330 pounds so I might be a little biased towards this book.

The first third of this book is so relatable with the struggles of an overweight person who believes there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Including the overwhelming apathy and negativity it comes from it, it is equally depressing as it is funny, yet it remains respectful to the people who are experiencing it or have experienced it.

Then the plot goes full balls to the wall with what, honestly, would be a logical course of action, and there's enough foreshadowing to make all the pieces fall into place with a nasty satisfaction.

Thank you Mr Cash, now I know that not only I defeated my avatar, but also that I did it without almost drowning in my own shit.

5/5

[Alejandro Olmos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro explora el tema de hasta qué punto una persona estaría dispuesta a llegar para superar su adicción, ya sea relacionada con las drogas, el sexo o la comida. Combina magistralmente elementos de horror cósmico, violencia gráfica y body horror. Me sorprendió gratamente el rumbo inesperado que tomó el libro; se desvió de mis expectativas iniciales y disfruté completamente cada aspecto de su narrativa.

[sugarnsass_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I inhaled this extreme body horror splattery book! Cash brings a creative, intense, vile, and thought-provoking read. What would you do to rid yourself of addiction or compulsion that devours you and your entire life? This books takes the reader to the depths of hopelessness and back again, only to leave the reader pondering. Some demons seem impossible to shake but what doesn’t kill you…right?. Unputdownable read!!

[Happy Goat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review on Happy Goat Horror:
https://happygoathorror.com/2024/04/1...

This is nothing short of a work of excellence, quite frankly! I thought it was going to be gross... and, I mean, it was.. but it's so much more! Terrific story.