"Love confused me, bewildered me, tore me apart, but not because it was not love, but because I thought it was fake, some unreal version that did not accord with the love I had dreamt alone"

Open Heaven is a beautiful that truly digs deep into the first love and emotions of a teenager=James. After a twenty year gap he returns to the area he grew up in and which had a profound effect upon his future life.

James lives in a quiet village community; trying to define his path in the world and his own identity - he is gay and open. Felling isolated and having no true friends, he lives a solitary existence beyond the classroom with his parents and young brother Eddie who suffers from seizures. Upon taking up a part time job helping the milkman, he fantasises about meeting men and chances upon encountering Luke- a young man who staying on a farm with relatives . Initially appearing distant and alien to James, Luke holds a deep attraction and fascination.

This is such a tender tory set over one year and the friendship that builds between the two boys- the emotions felt by James are truly raw and palpable and should connect with all readers who have endured the 'eternal turmoil' and yearning of a first love. The second guessing; the power of the imagination; the loneliness of not being able to express or understand feelings and the utter solitariness felt by James is incredibly moving. He is also torn between familial duty - especially towards his young brother- and its 'suffocation" and the need to be free. The interplay between the two characters is pitch perfect.

Seán Hewitt has created a compassionate and at times raw coming of age story- nuanced; laden with beautiful prose and nostalgic.

This is a book for YA readership and adults alike - an eternal tale in which all readers should recognise elements of themselves as they navigate/ed the exploration of love and identity

A beautiful debut and highly recommended

I loved this book! I was already a fan of Sean Hewitt's poetry but think that novels by poets can sometimes be a bit clunky. However, Open, Heaven is so well-written - full of lush descriptions of the countryside but through the lens of nostalgia, a narrator looking into the past after a break up with his husband, and a sweeping and intense coming-of-age story. It may be looser on plot, but I was completely transported back to that age. I think the April pub date for this is perfect as it will be a gorgeous spring read. I hope he is writing another novel!

Open, Heaven is a coming of age novel about one boy in the countryside meeting another and over the course of the year dealing with his feelings. James lives in a village in the countryside with his parents and younger brother. When he starts a milk round, he meets Luke, a charismatic boy with a bad reputation who has come to stay on his aunt and uncle's farm. As loner James is drawn to Luke, he learns about love and what the freedom of being almost an adult really means.

This is a novel that explores queer coming of age and the frustrations of feeling different to everyone else, as well as different kinds of friendship and love. It is tender and lyrical, but also easy to read, capturing the confusion of not knowing the same cues as everyone else because you're not part of the straight world. There's a slight framing device of a more present day narrative, but that is just a few scenes showing how James still longs for something lost, something he never had, rather than a separate story.

Both a beautifully tender queer coming of age novel, and a subtle piece of nature writing on the northern countryside, this books is like Seán Hewitt's poetry has come to life. Hewitt possesses the ability to make you flinch with his writing; there are flashes of eeriness and shocking inner thoughts, but mostly the prose is so stunning and familiar I had to stop and take a breath when reading. The most truthful novel about love, young love, unrequited love or queer love that I have read in a long time.

Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt is a coming of age novel that captures the angst of struggling with love, sexuality, loneliness, desire, growing up.