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Life, Death and the In-between
Life, Death, and the heartbreaking supernatural horror dealing with themes of suicide, grief and the after-life.
I guess I wanted to write this given my own personal struggles with thoughts of suicide. Every day I deal with some degree of pain where some days are better than others. When the pain is at its worst, my thoughts often drift to ending my own life. When a person has exhausted all other options and doctors can find nothing "obviously" wrong, so just keep prescribing strong pain-relief which barely scratches the surface the more you take it, why would a person not look to alternative, arguably darker options?
Just because my thoughts often drift in this location, it doesn't mean I am about to give up. This book, in a way, is a way for me to cope with my feelings and distract from the pain I find myself in - while exposing my inner most private thoughts and beliefs to my readers through a fictional tale.
From the blurb within the I struggle with suicidal thoughts.
My doctors are aware.
My family and friends are too.
The next time someone asks me about them, I will simply hand them this - my most personal book.
An important only is this my most personal book, even compared to the non-fiction title "Im Fine" which details my mental health struggles, I believe it is also one of my most important. I know there are many people out there who struggle with thoughts of self-harm and suicide on a day-to-day basis.
This book aims to make discussing such thoughts seem less frightening and more socially acceptable. After all, while we may struggle to put our thoughts in order, loved ones may be able to offer a different perspective and different course of action to help.
It also highlights that those who do go through with their plans are not as selfish as some may well say and nor did they take the "coward's way" out. They would have had their reasons and those reasons would never be selfish nor cowardly. If the book can highlight this to those left behind, struggling to come to terms with personal loss and help them pick the pieces up then - my work here is done.
It's not all doom and of grief and suicide are obviously heavy and can make for a difficult read from whatever side you come from but while I never mock either subject, there is dark humour weaved through the pages; easy really given the story is told through the eyes of the main character (1st person narration). That's not to say I won't rip your heart out throughout our journey together but, there is some light relief to be found here too and - as mentioned - hopefully further understanding to what others (or yourself) may feel.
I guess I wanted to write this given my own personal struggles with thoughts of suicide. Every day I deal with some degree of pain where some days are better than others. When the pain is at its worst, my thoughts often drift to ending my own life. When a person has exhausted all other options and doctors can find nothing "obviously" wrong, so just keep prescribing strong pain-relief which barely scratches the surface the more you take it, why would a person not look to alternative, arguably darker options?
Just because my thoughts often drift in this location, it doesn't mean I am about to give up. This book, in a way, is a way for me to cope with my feelings and distract from the pain I find myself in - while exposing my inner most private thoughts and beliefs to my readers through a fictional tale.
From the blurb within the I struggle with suicidal thoughts.
My doctors are aware.
My family and friends are too.
The next time someone asks me about them, I will simply hand them this - my most personal book.
An important only is this my most personal book, even compared to the non-fiction title "Im Fine" which details my mental health struggles, I believe it is also one of my most important. I know there are many people out there who struggle with thoughts of self-harm and suicide on a day-to-day basis.
This book aims to make discussing such thoughts seem less frightening and more socially acceptable. After all, while we may struggle to put our thoughts in order, loved ones may be able to offer a different perspective and different course of action to help.
It also highlights that those who do go through with their plans are not as selfish as some may well say and nor did they take the "coward's way" out. They would have had their reasons and those reasons would never be selfish nor cowardly. If the book can highlight this to those left behind, struggling to come to terms with personal loss and help them pick the pieces up then - my work here is done.
It's not all doom and of grief and suicide are obviously heavy and can make for a difficult read from whatever side you come from but while I never mock either subject, there is dark humour weaved through the pages; easy really given the story is told through the eyes of the main character (1st person narration). That's not to say I won't rip your heart out throughout our journey together but, there is some light relief to be found here too and - as mentioned - hopefully further understanding to what others (or yourself) may feel.
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2025
21 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Matt Shaw
529 books2,205 followersBiography
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 20, 2025
utterly heartbreaking read 😭😭
July 2, 2025
This book popped up on Audible and I bought it immediately. I have enjoyed everything about Matt Shaw. Love his books, his social media posts & especially his dark humor. I've never understood all the hate he gets or why people can't separate fiction from real life. I don't have any triggers or anything but when I saw the title details, I had to take a quick self inventory to make sure I was in a good enough place to read his "most personal book". I felt I was in a decent head space and would be able to listen without it sending me into my own dark spaces.
I am so grateful that Matt wrote this book and felt that he needed to narrated it. I am also stunned by the timing of it coming into my life & that I was able to listen & consider his words. I pretty much cried through the whole story. Yes it's fiction but there seems to be much truth here too. It is personal, yet eerily relatable for far too many of us. I have "lived" with intrusive thoughts of suicide for about 37 years. Some of the thoughts, feelings, pain, actions & conversations in this book could have come out of my own brain. Some of the ideas, beliefs and events discussed in this story really made me stop & think. To think about things I hadn't previously. Especially after the end, which I personally needed. I was so into the story, the ending spun me out. It also gave me food for thought, especially related to any repurcussions or consequences I had previously considered (or not). It may seem strange but I have added this book to my coping/self care board, to be reread when I next start to spiral. As a reminder.
Thank You Matt Shaw for writing this. You have a true talent. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I am so grateful that Matt wrote this book and felt that he needed to narrated it. I am also stunned by the timing of it coming into my life & that I was able to listen & consider his words. I pretty much cried through the whole story. Yes it's fiction but there seems to be much truth here too. It is personal, yet eerily relatable for far too many of us. I have "lived" with intrusive thoughts of suicide for about 37 years. Some of the thoughts, feelings, pain, actions & conversations in this book could have come out of my own brain. Some of the ideas, beliefs and events discussed in this story really made me stop & think. To think about things I hadn't previously. Especially after the end, which I personally needed. I was so into the story, the ending spun me out. It also gave me food for thought, especially related to any repurcussions or consequences I had previously considered (or not). It may seem strange but I have added this book to my coping/self care board, to be reread when I next start to spiral. As a reminder.
Thank You Matt Shaw for writing this. You have a true talent. Thank you for sharing it with us.
October 28, 2025
This book wrecked me in the best and worst ways.
Life, Death and the In-Between is a brutal, intimate descent into chronic pain, Suicidal ideation and the fragile beauty of love. It's not just a story, its a psychological autopsy, a slow unraveling of a man who believes death is the only relief. But what begins as a resignation becomes reckoning, and what ends as release becomes damnation.
This book is divided into six part. Life Death the in-between life(Again) death(again) and Hell. Each section shifts tone dramatically, from numb detachment to haunting regret. The emotional spikes are relentless.
Themes:
-pain as identity
-dark humor as armor
-love and guilt
-suicide and control
-memory and punishment
-god and meaning.
My Final Reflections:
I cried, I screamed internally. I questioned reality. This book doesn't ask for sympathy it demands confrontation. It forces you to sit with discomfort, to witness the slow erosion of a man's will and to feel the unbearable consequences of silence, shame, and unresolved pain. It's not just sad its haunting.
IF you've ever loved someone through their darkness or wrestled with your own, this book will find you. And it won't let go.
Thank you Matt Shaw for writing such a haunting beautifully heartbreaking story.
Life, Death and the In-Between is a brutal, intimate descent into chronic pain, Suicidal ideation and the fragile beauty of love. It's not just a story, its a psychological autopsy, a slow unraveling of a man who believes death is the only relief. But what begins as a resignation becomes reckoning, and what ends as release becomes damnation.
This book is divided into six part. Life Death the in-between life(Again) death(again) and Hell. Each section shifts tone dramatically, from numb detachment to haunting regret. The emotional spikes are relentless.
Themes:
-pain as identity
-dark humor as armor
-love and guilt
-suicide and control
-memory and punishment
-god and meaning.
My Final Reflections:
I cried, I screamed internally. I questioned reality. This book doesn't ask for sympathy it demands confrontation. It forces you to sit with discomfort, to witness the slow erosion of a man's will and to feel the unbearable consequences of silence, shame, and unresolved pain. It's not just sad its haunting.
IF you've ever loved someone through their darkness or wrestled with your own, this book will find you. And it won't let go.
Thank you Matt Shaw for writing such a haunting beautifully heartbreaking story.
August 11, 2025
🥺 Bear with me on this review because I'm crying pretty hard...
But I need to get how I'm feeling right now out.
I finished Matt Shaw's Life, Death and the In-between a little bit ago and I feel like I can't breath 💔
I feel like that moment when the police pull up to your house after you've been desperately trying to reach a loved one and you just know...
I feel like that desperation that drops you to your knees with that overwhelming feeling you have nowhere else to go...
I feel like when you hear the piercing words "I'm sorry but we did everything we could"...
I feel heavy 😞 his words hurt, they ripped memories long buried right out and made me relive them.
I'm sorry you guys, I really can't stop crying...
I both love ❤️ and hate 🖤 this book with every fiber of my soul. It's ugly and brutal but that's what art is right? It's not supposed to be pretty, it's purpose is to make you feel something.
But I need to get how I'm feeling right now out.
I finished Matt Shaw's Life, Death and the In-between a little bit ago and I feel like I can't breath 💔
I feel like that moment when the police pull up to your house after you've been desperately trying to reach a loved one and you just know...
I feel like that desperation that drops you to your knees with that overwhelming feeling you have nowhere else to go...
I feel like when you hear the piercing words "I'm sorry but we did everything we could"...
I feel heavy 😞 his words hurt, they ripped memories long buried right out and made me relive them.
I'm sorry you guys, I really can't stop crying...
I both love ❤️ and hate 🖤 this book with every fiber of my soul. It's ugly and brutal but that's what art is right? It's not supposed to be pretty, it's purpose is to make you feel something.
August 6, 2025
Difficult read
That was an extremely difficult read for several reasons. Not ashamed to admit it actually made me cry!
Living with chronic pain from various chronic illnesses with more seemingly added every year or so and watching my life change over the years as a result, the effects on my relationship and life in general what is written in these pages is relatable.
Thankfully I’m not suicidal before anyone reads this and panics but I can relate and see where the character is coming from.
Bit that got me most was the character getting engaged Christmas Day after only 8 months of being together exactly the same as me and my husband!!!
Powerful stuff and extremely well written.
That was an extremely difficult read for several reasons. Not ashamed to admit it actually made me cry!
Living with chronic pain from various chronic illnesses with more seemingly added every year or so and watching my life change over the years as a result, the effects on my relationship and life in general what is written in these pages is relatable.
Thankfully I’m not suicidal before anyone reads this and panics but I can relate and see where the character is coming from.
Bit that got me most was the character getting engaged Christmas Day after only 8 months of being together exactly the same as me and my husband!!!
Powerful stuff and extremely well written.
August 25, 2025
Okay so our main character is in an immense amount of pain. Been pushed aside many times by the NHS and those who are supposed to help. He’s had therapy which hasn’t helped and been put on medications left right and centre. Feeling like he has no other option, he decides to make the biggest decision he will ever make. To end his life.
This had me bawling. This was extremely sad and depressing which was refreshing from the man of extreme himself. However the supernatural aspect really made it for me. Bleak as anything but done sensitively. Goes to show he can write anything and it go down well. This won’t leave my head. The fact he was about to act upon this and his whole world got turned round regardless makes you really think about what decisions you make!
This had me bawling. This was extremely sad and depressing which was refreshing from the man of extreme himself. However the supernatural aspect really made it for me. Bleak as anything but done sensitively. Goes to show he can write anything and it go down well. This won’t leave my head. The fact he was about to act upon this and his whole world got turned round regardless makes you really think about what decisions you make!
August 4, 2025
Great read
Wow something completely different from Matt Shaw . I love this book , I relate to this book 100 percent . I've been sent to rehab for suicide attempts, I've had multiple breakdowns , and I deal with pain everyday from hypothyroidism. Being on all kinds of meds that doesn't work and people looking at you like your lazy or completely insane because tests come back fine ...yeah I get it . its nice , well not nice but feels good knowing there are people out there that do understand what others and yourself are going through and if this book was released years ago when my depression was at its worst , it would have made me feel just a tad better .
Wow something completely different from Matt Shaw . I love this book , I relate to this book 100 percent . I've been sent to rehab for suicide attempts, I've had multiple breakdowns , and I deal with pain everyday from hypothyroidism. Being on all kinds of meds that doesn't work and people looking at you like your lazy or completely insane because tests come back fine ...yeah I get it . its nice , well not nice but feels good knowing there are people out there that do understand what others and yourself are going through and if this book was released years ago when my depression was at its worst , it would have made me feel just a tad better .
January 10, 2026
This was such an interesting take on the toll it takes on you when there’s a physical illness and you are not able to receive a proper diagnosis. It terrifying when you know there is something wrong with you and nobody else can see it or acknowledge it. I went through this with my ten year old son and myself. I also lost my ten year old son due to the diagnosis being too late once it was received. So I understand all the feelings this story mentions. I also agree 100% that it seems it’s always the good ones that take the biggest hits. This is an emotional roller coaster but man does it reach in and rip your heart right out. Phenomenal!
October 4, 2025
As someone who suffers - truly suffers, from pain that is both mental and physical, at the hands of an inept system that promises hope but never delivers, I have never felt less alone than I did while reading Life, Death, And The In-Between. Here, Matt Shaw opens up and reveals a side of himself that readers might otherwise not suspect exists. The pages of this book breath, the words count a lonely cadence. And in the end, hope lingers, hopelessly. The book has a heartbeat, and it leaves a message in its wake - one that you won't soon forget.
July 31, 2025
I would never believed it possible to experience physical pain just from reading a book. Life, Death and the In-Between by Matt Shaw has gut punched me.
The desperation in the narrative is painfully vivid - the struggle for years to take the pain away; the dismissal by those trusted to provide help palpable; the unknowingness of the aftermath of the ultimate decision.
This is supernatural and psychological horror that will twist at your heart.
The desperation in the narrative is painfully vivid - the struggle for years to take the pain away; the dismissal by those trusted to provide help palpable; the unknowingness of the aftermath of the ultimate decision.
This is supernatural and psychological horror that will twist at your heart.
August 12, 2025
I feel like this is such a taboo subject. Life, death, and the choice of when you leave on your terms. This was a very sad and understanding read. I am sure we all have hard times, but when do the hard times win that your days just never seem to get better, and a choice is ultimately made. It's a great read, but don't read it when you're already feeling down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2025
I found this to be a good read, I hadn’t read the bio so I didn’t know it was a supernatural job but even so. The only reason I’ve given it three stars is because I thought it was about his life and pain, not a fictional book which gave it away when he passed at the end. The ending was very well thought out but it just wasn’t what I expected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
MATT SHAW
Not really sure what to say about this read some good books by Matt shaw but this wasn’t one I enjoyed not saying it was bad just not for me but other people may find it good
Not really sure what to say about this read some good books by Matt shaw but this wasn’t one I enjoyed not saying it was bad just not for me but other people may find it good
September 21, 2025
no notes. it’s beautifully written and conveys what it’s like to struggle with something so powerful that people struggle with on a day to day basis. I, for one, was moved and became quite emotional reading this, I tip my hat off for the author.
September 30, 2025
Heart wrenching and so much truth
One of the very best Matt Shaw books I've read because it was so obviously from the heart. I read it in one sitting. A must for anyone who wants to understand why anyone might have enough of this life for whatever reason.
One of the very best Matt Shaw books I've read because it was so obviously from the heart. I read it in one sitting. A must for anyone who wants to understand why anyone might have enough of this life for whatever reason.
January 1, 2026
Wow
Matt Shaw, with Life, Death, and the in-between, crafts a story that cuts through a lot of the minutia of an act that can be VERY divisive to tell story that doesn't take a side but lays it out with a grace a lesser Author might not have.
Matt Shaw, with Life, Death, and the in-between, crafts a story that cuts through a lot of the minutia of an act that can be VERY divisive to tell story that doesn't take a side but lays it out with a grace a lesser Author might not have.
August 1, 2025
LOVE THIS!!!
This was one of my favorite reads so far by Matt Shaw!
Made me cry but overall I loved it.
This was one of my favorite reads so far by Matt Shaw!
Made me cry but overall I loved it.
August 17, 2025
This was really something else. I did not think it was going to go where it went. I've seen a lot of people say it made them cry, but it just made me.... sad. Really something to think about.
August 30, 2025
Absolutely heartbreaking, and resonant.
October 6, 2025
Thank you
Thank you Matt for this book. It hit so close to home for me. I needed this book right now. You have no idea. Just thank you....
With all the love I can send. ❤️
Thank you Matt for this book. It hit so close to home for me. I needed this book right now. You have no idea. Just thank you....
With all the love I can send. ❤️
October 12, 2025
What a twist.
Didn't see it coming. The best kind. I've always enjoyed reading Matt Shaw's work. This was especially poinent. Wow. I need to choose another Matt Shaw book.
Didn't see it coming. The best kind. I've always enjoyed reading Matt Shaw's work. This was especially poinent. Wow. I need to choose another Matt Shaw book.
September 30, 2025
Such a different read, direction and pace of a Matt Shaw book that I've not seen that side of before. Literally a beautifully written account of something I know more of us than we realise think about.
Matt Shaw put those thoughts on paper and takes us on a journey of how these thoughts manifest into actions, and the repercussions it could have on everyone else, a butterfly effect as such.
I'd love more books like this by Matt, they are so deep and visceral which makes you really think about Life, Death and the inbetween...
Also... The cover is amazing...
Matt Shaw put those thoughts on paper and takes us on a journey of how these thoughts manifest into actions, and the repercussions it could have on everyone else, a butterfly effect as such.
I'd love more books like this by Matt, they are so deep and visceral which makes you really think about Life, Death and the inbetween...
Also... The cover is amazing...
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews