‘Morais is right; if we have lived in a place long enough, we all know a Kung Fu or two. We probably know a Pavement Poet as well – highly educated immigrants who have gone through hell to get here […], only to find themselves treated with contempt by the likes of the obnoxious Jolyon […] Less familiar to some, perhaps may be the other characters that people Morais’ acutely observed stories: drug-dealers, users, people who are in- or just out-of or just-about-to-go-into-jail, rogue families, scary hardmen and vile, predatory males who present themselves as Nice Guys. […]'
'This turning-around is a feature of several of the stories, and Morais is really good at it, whether he has us sitting on the edge of our seats worrying that tow sixteen-year-olds at their first techno party might have been dealt some really dangerous drugs ( ‘Things that Make the Heart Beat Faster’), or is ratcheting up the tension around potential violence in ‘One of the Cullens’. Morais explores the masks that people wear, looking beyond the public persona or perceived reality to reveal what lies beneath. […]Things that Make the Heart Beat Faster is packed with social commentary, biting humour, and sharp observations. It is a slick debut, sparkling with a distinctly urban energy and contemporary cosmopolitanism.’
– Suzy Ceulan Hughes
Read the full review on New Welsh Reader
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João is currently travelling the world, and will be blogging from far-flung tropical locations for us as he writes his new book. More on this soon...
