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Open, Heaven

A Novel

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Open, Heaven

Auteur(s): Seán Hewitt
Narrateur(s): Sebastian Croft
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À propos de cet audio

 A stunning debut novel from the acclaimed young Irish poet Seán Hewitt, reminiscent of Garth Greenwell and Justin Torres in the intensity of its evocation of sexual awakening

Set in a remote village in the north of England, Open, Heaven unfolds over the course of one year in which two teenage boys meet and transform each other’s lives.

James—a sheltered, shy sixteen-year-old—is alone in his newly discovered sexuality, full of an unruly desire but entirely inexperienced. As he is beginning to understand himself and his longings, he also realizes how his feelings threaten to separate him from his family and the rural community he has grown up in. He dreams of another life, fantasizing about what lies beyond the village’s leaf-ribboned boundaries, beyond his reach: autonomy, tenderness, sex. Then, in the autumn of 2002, he meets Luke, a slightly older boy, handsome, unkempt, who comes with a reputation for danger. Abandoned by his parents—his father imprisoned, and his mother having moved to France for another man—Luke has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm just outside the village. James is immediately drawn to him "like the pull a fire makes on the air, dragging things into it and blazing them into its hot, white centre," drawn to this boy who is beautiful and impulsive, charismatic, troubled. But underneath Luke’s bravado is a deep wound—a longing for the love of his father and for the stability of family life.

Open, Heaven is a novel about desire, yearning, and the terror of first love. With the striking economy and lyricism that animate his work as a poet, Hewitt has written a mesmerizing hymn to boyhood, sensuality, and love in all its forms. A truly exceptional debut. Fiction de genre Fiction littéraire Le choix des éditeurs Le meilleur de 2025 Littérature et fiction Récits initiatiques Village

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Editorial Review

Queer fiction that reads like poetry
Although Open, Heaven may be his debut novel, award-winning poet and memoirist Seán Hewitt is no stranger to good writing. Set in a remote English village in the early aughts, this heart-wrenching coming-of-age story captures the yearning, sorrow and angst of exploring your sexuality and finding first love. Hewitt perfectly depicts the nuance and heartbreak of young queer discovery, and also explores the often thin line between platonic and romantic entanglements. Told in the lyrical prose of a poet—and beautifully performed by narrator Sebastian Croft— Open, Heaven is sure to be one of the most bittersweet novels of the year, and perfect for anyone in need of a good ugly cry. —Michael C., Audible Editor

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I bought this on the basis of a gushing Guardian review. But it was not for me. Don’t come here looking for plot - as there isn’t one, not really.

BUT what it lacks in narrative momentum, it more than makes up for in lyrical prose. The imagery is absolutely stunning. I often found myself pausing just to savour a single phrase which would be either emotionally spot on, or evocative and beautiful.

That said, beautiful writing alone couldn’t carry this for me. James, the central character, is a self-absorbed, lonely obsessive, and while that’s clearly intentional, I found him so frustrating. His fixation seems to drive him toward an ultimately unhappy life (or so the hints go) yet why? The object of his fixation did not really seem to have the heft that his pining merited. The consequences of his emotions feel murky and unsatisfying.

In the end, I was left disappointed. As a coming-of-age novel, it feels emotionally overwrought but unsatisfying. Gorgeous writing yes. But hollow.

Has more pine than an old-growth forest.

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