We Own The Sky author Luke Allnutt opens the book with a preface explaining that he wrote the book whilst in hospital facing the reality that he may not live long enough to see his own son grow up. I feel this is an important piece of information as it gives the author’s state of mind when writing this book and adds to the emotional aspect of the book. Whilst the book is not about a father being unwell, but rather the young son, many of the feelings, and ways of dealing with such a heartbreaking and life changing situation are the same.

The book centres around Anna, Rob and their son Jack and the blow they are dealt when Jack becomes seriously ill. Mainly told from Rob’s perspective, the focus is on the relationship of the father and son and to what lengths you will go to when you find yourself in their position. The plot looks back at their journey and has intermissions of special memories that Rob was able to make with Jack. I don’t want to give too much away in my review, but this book should be sold with a free box of tissues. The characters of Anna and Rob met at University, brought together by the fact that they both from less privileged backgrounds and having a friend in common. They are very different personalities, Anna is very methodical, controlling stemming from her childhood as the daughter of missionaries. Rob is a lot more laid back, has no sense of urgency and doesn’t plan for the future. We are almost voyeurs to their different ways of dealing with their son’s diagnosis, and how that effects them individually and as a couple.

For all the above, this is not a depressing read, I found it rather life affirming by the end, a sense of hope in their story, that life can go on after personal tragedy. The difficult issues raised in We Own The Sky are handled with great care and empathy; Luke Allnutt writes with skill, understanding and a comprehension of character. This is a beautiful and poignant read, that you will take to heart.

I’m afraid I’m in the minority with this one. I DNF this. I tried and wanted to like this especially with that emotional message from the author at the beginning and the hype around this book, however I just could not connect with the protagonist.
The story opens with Rob whose Anna has left him and now he’s an alcoholic in Cornwall with a website where he posts photographs. Then we get flashbacks to how he met Anna and their blooming relationship watching them date, then live together, marry and eventually have a baby boy, Jack. 5 years later they’re a happy family until Jack has accidents and is diagnosed with brain tumour...
For me, personally, I found the writing monotonous and lacking nuance. I found the characters dull, and ordinary. But family dramas written from the male perspective seems to be the trend and this will appeal to fans of A Boy Made of Blocks.

Make sure you read the introduction to this as it gives you an in-depth understanding of why Luke Allnutt wrote this book. I found it very emotional and was in need of tissues before I had actually even read the first chapter! And you better make sure you keep those tissues handy as you are going to need them!

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and with an unexpected serenity as the storyline develops. There is no screaming and shouting as Rob and Anna come to terms with what is happening to Jack, just a quiet determination from mathematically minded Rob as he try’s to find answers to what he sees as a solvable problem. Robs relationship with his son was incredibly touching to watch, their father and son connection an uncomplicated delight to behold. In comparison, Anna was very different in personality and dealt with her emotions with more of a “stiff upper lip” but as we find out more about her own background and upbringing, her reactions begin to make much more sense.

Although a book about loss, this isn’t a depressing read. The theme of hope and dreams for the future running throughout the narrative make it an uplifting tale of life even though our journey through it is often not always the smooth passage that we would hope for ourselves and our loved ones. There were times that I felt more sorry for Anna than for Rob as she struggled with her husbands reaction as well as having to be strong for her son, hiding her emotions from them both until she is alone. But it was refreshing in a way to see this family just through the eyes of a father and his love for his son.

I cried and I prayed but most of all I raged alongside Rob and Anna at the shockingly unfair challenges life was throwing at this perfect little family unit. This emotional and often heartbreaking tale had an incredible affect on me as I felt so connected to them all and the struggle they faced. And it has remained with me as I still miss the characters now that I have finished the book and wish I could pop back in to find out how they are doing now. Yes they felt that real to me!

A wonderful book that I have no hesitation in recommending!

When you finish a book one evening then wake up the next morning thinking about the characters you know the author did something a bit special. This is a moving and at times heartbreaking story and not one I will forget easily.

This book ... It should come with a health warning. Do not read if suffering from heavy cold as elicited emotional response may lead to loss of ability to breathe. I kid you not. There were times when reading this book that I cried so much I almost suffocated as I was suffering from the lovely seasonal flu bug at the time. Oh and do not read this in public unless you are planning of getting a lot of strange looks because if you can read this without being moved to tears, then you are quite possibly a high functional sociopath. Just putting it out there ...

This is such an emotional and moving story. Any book which involves the death of a child would be. How can you not be moved by that? The story charts the story of Rob Coates who meets the love of his life, Anna, and together they marry and try their hardest to start a family. After a few false starts, enough in themselves to elicit afew tears, they are finally blessed with a son, Jack. He is a beautifully developed boy, very sweet and kind and Rob is devoted to him, heart and soul. SO when he is diagnosed with a tumour, it almost breaks Rob, a man who would do anything to protect his child.

And from this stage on, the story develops into the journey that Rob, Anna and Jack go on as Jack lives out his final months. Rob is a man who would give anything to find a cure for Jack, anything, even going as far as checking out all experimental treatments which may offer him some hope. You can feel his desperation seep from the page and as Luke Allnutt draws you further into the story, as a reader you feel there is nothing you wouldn't give for the story not to reach its inevitable conclusion. Gah! It's making me cry again now just thinking about the story to write this review.

Now the story itself has arisen from a very emotional journey that author Luke Allnutt has also been on and this resonates in every word that has been written. The overwhelming fear of loss, the unconditional love between Rob and Jack and the way in which the pressures of Jack's illness affect the relationship between Rob and Anna. It all rings true and every single word will drive an emotional response in the reader, even if at times it is simply disbelief. The way in which the loss of Jack breaks Rob ... It is heartbreaking to read and yet fully believable. And there is one scene, when Jack is really ill but Rob and Anna take him to his school's winter fair. The scene between Jack and his friends ... man. Crying buckets then, crying buckets now. This ... this is the scene that nearly killed me!

Rob's journey is a truly emotional one which sees hims move from elation as a man who has everything he ever wanted, to complete despair, becoming a man so broken that he ends up losing everything. And yet, from the very beginning, despite what you know is yet to come, there is still an element of hope. A tiny slither of light in the darkness and the reason for the title of book. A little bit of beauty which marks the tone of the bond between Rob and Jack. And the end of the book gives the reader hope. Hope that perhaps Rob has not quite lost everything.

If you are looking to be taken on an emotional, often heartbreaking journey, then do take a look. I cannot recommend this book enough. It will completely floor you, perhaps even break you a little, especially if you have ever experienced such a loss yourself, but it is far too beautiful a read to miss.

We own the Sky is one of those books that you know is going to affect you before you even begin and because I am an exceptionally chicken hearted type of girl, I try not to inflict self- induced weeping on myself so despite being graciously invited to participate in the Blog Tour for the book I approached the prospect with some trepidation.

I need not have worried. That is not to say that this book does not grab you by the throat and drag you to some very dark emotional corners, with grief induced alcoholism being a pervasive theme throughout, some of it is very grim and the story of any young life being laid low by cancer, let alone brain cancer is not going to be jolly by any stretch of the imagination, but there is much to love about this simple story of the Before and the After of this, possibly the most catastrophic event to happen in any parent’s life, the prospect of losing a child.

Luke Allnutt has a particular deftness with images and imagery, this is utilised cleverly by the fact that… is a photographer. This is a story filled with stark images and a vividness of description without seeming forced. In fact the style is sparse and lean which means that the ferocity of the emotion being barely contained by two personalities so different in their coping mechanisms. Unable to share their grief and the burden of their own questions about the futility and desperation and projected blame for this tragedy, both parents draw into their own worlds informed by their own formative years.

The book’s symbolism of the child’s near obsessive love of high places and the juxtaposition of the ideas of Heaven, of raising a child in prayer are cleverly mined and exposed for our perusal. The idea of peace coming with the acceptance that suffering is ended seems ludicrous as the aftershocks of the loss ricochet into the future for both parents.

It is here the book rises head and shoulders above what could easily have fallen into the trap of being mawkish and overly provocative. There is some searing and seething examination of the way technology can be a curse as well as a boon in times of trouble, again cleverly placed against the fact that… is very at home with computers, code and the internet. Personal Research causes pain and consternation, reaching out to “Others who know” creating hope and supportive connections but also opening hearts wishing for miracles up to the risks of exploitation and frustration, zapping strength and stealing time perhaps better placed living in the now.

Consider the plethora of platitudes banded about when a child falls ill , the “thoughts and prayers “stock responses we are all guilty of and public expressions of gratitude for what we, the luckily unscathed have; that did
make me sit and think about my own social media footprint when tragedy strikes those just outside my most precious inner circle.

I felt this book keenly and I cried copious tears. I will never be able to look at a bouncy castle without a pang, but it is so much more than a tear jerker, it has strong messages about how we meet tragedy in our lives and how we respond both internally and publically. I strongly urge you to seek it out. I do not think you will be disappointed.

Oh my goodness, what a book!

Rob is a lucky guy - he has a job he loves, he has a beautiful wife and a wonderful little boy. Then everything changes for him, and his whole world spins out of control.

This is an incredible read; heartbreaking, poignant and complex but the end result is that it is all about relationships, love and hope. And there are a lot of all three in this book. Considering this is a debut, the author has done an amazing job with a very difficult topic indeed.

I loved this book and I can't stop thinking about it.

A solid 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thank you to THE Book Club for the recommendation, and NetGalley and Park Row Publishing for allowing me to read it. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Before I even started this story I knew it was going to be a heart breaking and tear jerking story, which is based from true events. We Own the Sky is an emotional story that parents should never have to face. I must also mention how this story highlights the power of love and the relationship between a father and son. A story that may not be to every readers taste due to individual circumstances but a beautiful story. One that will remain in my heart. I awarded four stars and would highly recommend to you all. The story is written well, easy to read but does contain long chapters.

*Please note this is the review I will be using on my blog tour date 8th of February*.

A very emotionally charged book. Told from the point of view of the father, it tells what happens in a family when their long wished for son is diagnosed with a terminal illness’s. The effect on not only the family, but the people around them. The difficulty in accepting a diagnosis and the impulse to believe anything to make it not so. A very intense, moving book. Recommended.

Wow! Just beautiful, heartbreaking and raw.
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Health warning - Do not read in public. What a beautiful book. I loved it. Read it, I think you will love it too. I would buy this for friends and family without hesitation

This is a real tearjerker of a book and at first I found it unbearably sad and could not see where it was going with the story. It becomes apparent as you get more into it that the story is about a journey through love, loss and redemption and gives a lot of thought for such a sensitive topic.

This is a book about love and loss and the lengths parents go to try to find a cure for their children. It is told from the point of view of the Dad and is very up to date.
I loved the character of Anna, the mum, the way Rob spoke about her and to her. The whole book just felt real and honest without being emotionally mushy.
It is well written and I envisage it becoming a talked about book in 2018.

I think sometimes the stories that tell a tragic tale of a child taken from this world so soon can be very difficult to read but even harder to write if you haven’t experienced the pain for yourself. This book was exceptional as not only written from the males point of view it didn’t hold out any punches and lead you into thinking there would be a happy ever after. The story follows Rob the father of little Jack and how he copes with his son being poorly and then the aftermath. Told in an honest way what grips you from the start wanting to turn page after page to hear Robs story. Well written and a delight to read.

I was a little skeptical when I first picked up We Own the Sky to read as I thought it would be, for want of a better term, another cancer story. I'm not a fan of that class of story, mostly out of fear that it could one day happen to someone I love. But when I started reading this novel on a train I fell in love with the writing. Luke writes with such realism and heartwarming words that I was hooked and had to read on. I particularly loved his depiction of the protagonists wife, Anna, who as far as characters go may be one of my favourite ever, just for feeling so real.

I won't go into the plot too much as it too easy to spoil but it will break your heart and keep you gripped until the end. Although the book covers a large period of time and breaks off into smaller chunks I found it was over before I had even realised I was halfway through as it was hard to put down.

I praise the author for his honesty in such a terrible situation, not at one point did I think that he had added something to break the tension for the sole purpose of making it seem better than it was. He doesn't lie to you and instead writes with such tenderness that even when bad things happen you can't look away.

A wonderful, extremely touching book which I will happily recommend to everyone. A fantastic debut from a new author and I look forward to reading whatever he writes next.

What an emotionally driven book ! Told from the fathers viewpoint , this is a book of love and loss . To what ends would we go to to save our children ? A sometimes difficult read but also a compelling and intellectual one I found it hard to put down . 4.5 stars with my thanks to tbc for my chance to read

Very moving and very readable.
I would really recommend.

Always like a family drama written from the male perspective and think the male authors often really nail this genre. Reminded me of A boy Full of Blocks in this respect and I think will appeal to similar market.
Highly commercial, an emotionally charged book from start to finish with no let up at all on that score! Rob and Anna are university sweethearts, whose relationship is tested to the very limits when their much loved only son becomes ill. Can a strong family unit survive everything that life throws at them, and at what cost to try and save the ones we love.