Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt

Image description/alt text: The author's name and the book's title in a white font over a stylised green and yellow painting of a forest.

Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt is set to be published on 24th April 2025 by Jonathan Cape.

The story follows James, a young gay student from the fictional village of Thornmere, outcast by his peers and laden with the expectations of his parents, a job with a milkman and his little brother's ill health. James feels like no one understands him due to his sexuality, until he meets Luke, the nephew of the local farmer and he falls hard and fast. Will Like reciprocate his feelings, or reject him for them? And is the older boy really as bad as his reputation suggests?

I devoured this beautifully written book, poetic in its descriptions and with two amazing protagonists, and really didn't want to leave the world Hewitt had created for these two young men.

Hewitt had been on my radar for a while, I've had his 2022 memoir All Down Darkness Wide on various wishlists for quite some time, and 300,000 Kisses, the anthology of ancient queer stories he wrote with Luke Edward Hall, was the gift I received in my family's 2024 Secret Santa. It was an absolute no-brainer that I would pick up this book, especially as a queer writer/poet of Irish descent myself. And, let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

Told in movements that correlate with the seasons of the year, Open, Heaven, follows James and Luke as they get to know each other better and form a special bond.

Relatable, heartbreaking but also triumphant and beautiful, Open, Heaven is a must-read for fans of queer literature, romance and also generally well-written fiction.

Image description/alt text: The author's name and the book's title in a white font over a stylised green and yellow painting of a forest.