“This brilliant, funny, unsettling book is a work of deep psychological realism and a philosophical inquiry at the same time. Thomas Morris is a master of the contemporary short story, and the stories in this collection are his best yet.” —SALLY ROONEY author of INTERMEZZO Strikingly original and wonderfully tender, Open Up is a vivid exploration of the thrills, challenges, and aches of contemporary life. These five stories pulse with a dark strangeness: a boy’s first football match is charged with secret magic and complicated by his family situation; a young man’s vacation with his partner comes under threat from a dark visitor; a family of seahorses faces growing pains and grief as they fight to come of age and understand their place in the world. Deeply felt and richly rewarding, Open Up is a gorgeous and penetrating examination of human vulnerability, filled with magic and wonder.