OPEN UP

A moving testament to human connection in the modern age.

The characters in Welsh author Morris’ short stories are desperate for control. He paints a world that is ambivalent at best, actively cruel at worst. In “Little Wizard,” the ironically nicknamed Big Mike rails against his diminutive stature, lashing out at friends, co-workers, roommates, and prospective Tinder dates because no one can seem to look past the fact that he’s 5-foot-3. He, like Morris’ other protagonists, begs for a chance, for someone to see him. He finally works up the courage to ask his best friend and crush, Rhian, out on a date, and the grand reveal showcases Morris’ true intention with the tale. Elsewhere, in “Birthday Teeth,” Glyn is a moderator on a forum for vampire fanatics. He balances taking care of his depressed mother with his own macabre outlook on the world, all the while obsessively sharing details of a recently ended relationship, one that involved a staggering betrayal. Glyn has convinced himself he can solve his problems by paying for a procedure to get his teeth sharpened; if only he had this one thing, everything else would turn out all right. It’s the essential theme of this story collection—what are the ways we try to control the uncontrollable? Life’s randomness brings chaos and tragedy. Is there an escape? In “Wales,” Gareth goes to a soccer match with his father, whom he hasn’t seen in three months. If Wales wins, “everything will turn out okay,” he assures himself. “His mother will find a wad of cash stuffed in the walls and they won’t need to move out.” The throughline here is an unrelenting empathy, whether Morris is writing about a family of seahorses or a couple wrestling through disconnect on what was supposed to be a restful vacation. Everyone, every living thing, matters.

Trauma, rage, depression, and heartbreak mingle with dashes of optimism and excitement.