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Things that Make the Heart Beat Faster
"There's something in us all that makes us wanna get smashed. It's always been there in everyone. Back in the day, people used to shant beer instead of water. Their smokes were ten times stronger, so you would get a headrush just from looking at a pipe. You would smash as much opium as you could to cure everything from a cough to a hangover to a sawn-off leg. And fuck the afternoon pick-me-up cuppa when you could have a mug of brandy and a half teaspoon cocaine instead."
João Morais's contemporary debut collection of stories beats paths through a capital city from street food markets and art galleries to the park and the pub. From illegal raves to prison visits, Morais turns his unflinching beam on the quickened pulse of urban living: spiffs, fights, and hearts spark as relationships and power struggles are tested. Often comic, sometimes tragic, these stories detail the moments in their characters' lives when everything changes and their hearts beat faster.
João Morais's contemporary debut collection of stories beats paths through a capital city from street food markets and art galleries to the park and the pub. From illegal raves to prison visits, Morais turns his unflinching beam on the quickened pulse of urban living: spiffs, fights, and hearts spark as relationships and power struggles are tested. Often comic, sometimes tragic, these stories detail the moments in their characters' lives when everything changes and their hearts beat faster.
- GenresShort Stories
107 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2018
About the author
João Morais
11 books3 followersJoão Morais is from Cardiff. He has a Portuguese name as his father's side of the family hail from Cabo Verde. He holds a PhD from Cardiff University. He has been shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition, the Percy French Prize for Comic Verse, and the All Wales Comic Verse Competition. He was longlisted for the New Welsh Writing Awards: AmeriCymru Prize for the Novella and is a previous winner of the Terry Hetherington Young Writers Award. He has also has many short stories, reviews, and poems published with New Welsh Review and Wales Arts Review.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 28, 2018
Incredible stories, going right through the heart of Wales and coming out the better for it. Cannot recommend enough.
September 2, 2018
*Disclaimer: I am an intern at the publishing company and the book was given to me as a gift*
A couple weeks after finishing this short story collection and it's still rummaging around in my head. These characters stay with you, despite the fact that you're only really allowed to see them in brief glimpses. I don't normally read that many short story collections, but here I found that I actually really enjoyed seeing the ways in which the individual stories worked together to create an idea of a whole; an idea of a place, a city and a people whom I haven't had much experience with before.
Morais' style of writing is ironic and occasionally comic; something which works in stark contrast to some of the harsher fates and tragic situations he depicts.
As a student of sociolinguistics, I found his use of slang and dialect especially interesting. It's fascinating to see the ways he creates a sense of the place and its people through the language they use, and especially what they say and don't say.
That being said, a lot of the characters are deeply unsympathetic or cunning *ssholes (I apologise for swearing, but if you don't like that, this will not be the book for you), which made some of the stories not exactly pleasant to read.
A couple weeks after finishing this short story collection and it's still rummaging around in my head. These characters stay with you, despite the fact that you're only really allowed to see them in brief glimpses. I don't normally read that many short story collections, but here I found that I actually really enjoyed seeing the ways in which the individual stories worked together to create an idea of a whole; an idea of a place, a city and a people whom I haven't had much experience with before.
Morais' style of writing is ironic and occasionally comic; something which works in stark contrast to some of the harsher fates and tragic situations he depicts.
As a student of sociolinguistics, I found his use of slang and dialect especially interesting. It's fascinating to see the ways he creates a sense of the place and its people through the language they use, and especially what they say and don't say.
That being said, a lot of the characters are deeply unsympathetic or cunning *ssholes (I apologise for swearing, but if you don't like that, this will not be the book for you), which made some of the stories not exactly pleasant to read.
September 13, 2018
in Things That Make The Heart Beat Faster joão morais has produced a high impact, brilliantly well crafted, and economical collection of short fiction that will appeal to a wide range of readers.
each story will leave an imprint on the reader’s mind; joão writes with a precise, unique style that is unmistakably his own.
the book is just over 100 pages - i feel this lends itself equally to reading in one sitting and also dropping in and out for repeat readings.
joão is an excellent writer and i can’t wait to see what follows TTMTHBF.
each story will leave an imprint on the reader’s mind; joão writes with a precise, unique style that is unmistakably his own.
the book is just over 100 pages - i feel this lends itself equally to reading in one sitting and also dropping in and out for repeat readings.
joão is an excellent writer and i can’t wait to see what follows TTMTHBF.
October 13, 2018
I'd been looking forward to this book for absolutely ages, having seen Joâo read at various nights. And it's a great collection about the seedier side of Cardiff life. Never have Ely and Penterbane been painted so vibrantly! Searching through the disparate lives of Cardiff's underclass, Morais finds humour and humanity everywhere.
February 26, 2026
I feel like short story compilations have ups and downs with the quality of the individual stories but this one has only 5/5 stories. The throughline of things that make your heart beat faster (love, anger, fear, etc.) Is such a clever device to explore each story. Couldn't recommend enough.
March 25, 2019
Far far far too many pages.
May 8, 2019
Bangin book excellent author
December 17, 2019
Made me fall in love with the short story all over again. Great collection.
May 6, 2021
Funny, perceptive and humane. Bottom line - you'll enjoy reading it and have a laugh.
May 20, 2022
A set of short stories which as always seems to happen apart from in the very best collections, has some good stories and some not so good ones.
The more memorable stories include The Pavement Poet, about a vain man's encounters with a homeless man who writes poetry on the streets. But this is the stand out one among some more forgettable stories, not helped by their shortness.
The more memorable stories include The Pavement Poet, about a vain man's encounters with a homeless man who writes poetry on the streets. But this is the stand out one among some more forgettable stories, not helped by their shortness.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews