Reviews

Open Up by Thomas Morris

otherkirsty's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

xchris_reads's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

jwab's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

libraryfiend21's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

helenh1975's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ju_marchant's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

bibliolinde's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

emmagorey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

booksnpunks's review

4.0

So odd but also outstandingly good. Really, really enjoyed this collection. The first story ‘Wales’ was the weakest which made me nervous that I wasn’t going to enjoy it but the rest of the stories were completely brilliant. Morris writes about the human condition with such a unique outlook on life and his stories force you to confront your own inner demons. One story follows a family of seahorses and at its core is about grief, loneliness and abandonment - never thought I would be able to sympathise with a seahorse so much but Morris’s writing just completely sucked me in. The other three stories in the collection are a deep and humorous comment on relationships, identity crises and how we connect with each other in a world of social media and virtual distractions telling us that everything we do and say is wrong.

Truly and pleasantly surprised by this collection and will be eagerly awaiting more from Morris as he has genuinely mastered the art of short story writing. Thank you Faber for sending me an advance proof copy of this for review.

oliverjnolan's review

4.0

Enjoyed this brief collection of stories. Explores themes of existentialism, grief and belonging with wit, empathy and surreal tonal shifts that unmoored me in otherwise familiar dynamics. Most memorable is easily Aberkariad - a tale of a teenage seahorse’s coming of age that finds humanity and crushing sadness in a story that could have simply been quirky and comic, but instead manages to be all of the above.