The new collection from a literary star – five achingly tender, innovative and dazzling stories of (dis)connection. Everything felt familiar and nostalgic. It was the joy and blood-thrill of being understood, of being ready to give himself entirely to another.

In this outstanding suite of stories Thomas Morris seeks to find moments of grace, hope and benevolence in the churning chaos of self discovery. From the magical thinking of a ten-year-old attending his first football match, and a wincingly humane portrait of adolescence, to the perplexity of grief and loss in ‘Aberkariad’ — the story of a heartbroken father, brother, seahorse. Each one refracts a soulful portrait of masculinity.

At once philosophically acute and strikingly original, the collection is bursting with a bracing emotional depth. Open Up cracks the heart and raises a smile as it expands the short story form.