Open, Heaven

When James meets Luke, everything changes – an exhilarating tale of hidden desire and sudden freedom in the wild countryside. THE INSTANT TOP 10 IRISH BESTSELLER‘An achingly beautiful story of first love’ GUARDIAN‘Superb… Transcendent’ SARAH PERRY‘Beautifully written, deeply felt’ MICHAEL MAGEE‘Heart-rending… Propulsive’ FINANCIAL TIMESJames dreams of another life far away from his small village. Almost an adult, his newfound desires threaten to unravel his shy exterior. Then he meets Luke. Unkempt and handsome, charismatic and impulsive, he has been sent to stay with his aunt and uncle on a nearby farm. With the passing seasons, a bond emerges between them that transforms their lives. Yet James is never sure of Luke’s true feelings and as the end of summer nears, he has a choice to make: will he risk everything for the possibility of love?*A Book of the Year for the Guardian, Observer, Irish Times and BBC*READERS LOVE OPEN, HEAVEN‘My favourite book of the year’‘Gorgeous. I was completely transported’‘The intoxicating rush of first love. Five stars!’‘Breathtakingly beautiful. A story that stays with you’‘Heart-breaking but also triumphant. A must-read’‘The most truthful novel about lovethat I have read in a long time’‘It made my heart hurt in the best ways’ HELEN MACDONALD‘Hewitt writes with such tenderness and grace’ ANNE ENRIGHT‘Desire, yearning, fear… Intensely vivid’ IRISH TIMES‘Gorgeous… Piercing, intimate and euphoric’ COLIN WALSH‘Seán Hewitt is the real deal’ BENJAMIN MYERSOpen, Heaven was an Irish top ten bestseller w/c 28 April 2025

TWO BOYS MEET. EVERYTHING CHANGES.

‘An exquisite tale of first love’ SARAH PERRY, GUARDIAN
‘Heart-rending… Propulsive’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Hewitt writes with such tenderness and grace’ ANNE ENRIGHT
‘I loved it... Beautiful’ FERDIA LENNON

On the cusp of adulthood, James dreams of another life far away from his small village. As he contends with the expectations of his family, his burgeoning desire – an ache for autonomy, tenderness and sex – threatens to unravel his shy exterior.

Then he meets Luke. Unkempt and handsome, charismatic and impulsive, he has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle on a nearby farm. Luke comes with a reputation for danger, but underneath his bravado lie anxieties and hopes of his own.

With the passing seasons, the two teenagers grow closer and the bond that emerges between them transforms their lives. James falls deeply for Luke, yet he is never sure of Luke’s true feelings. And as the end of summer nears, he has a choice to make – will he risk everything for the possibility of love?

* A Guardian, Irish Times and BBC Book for 2025 *

‘A beautiful novel about how a first love can shape a whole life’
HELEN MACDONALD

‘Open, Heaven does what the very best coming-of-age stories do’
MICHAEL MAGEE

‘God’s Own Country meets Heartstopper… People will love it’
BRANDON TAYLOR

‘A gorgeous ache of a novel’
COLIN WALSH

‘Seán Hewitt is the real deal’
BENJAMIN MYERS

‘It’s a novel about us’
KAVEH AKBAR

• | Author: Sean Hewitt
• | Publisher: Vintage Publishing
• | Publication Date: Apr 24, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781787335196
• | ISBN-10: 1787335194