Open, Heaven

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

TWO BOYS MEET. EVERYTHING CHANGES.

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?

‘Hewitt writes with such tenderness and grace’ ANNE ENRIGHT

‘I loved it... Beautiful’ FERDIA LENNON

‘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

(c) Seán Hewitt 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

An achingly beautiful story of first love in the English countryside . . . Lyrical, atmospheric and transporting
Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2025*
Hewitt is superb in his loving and acute descriptions of the natural world
SARAH PERRY
A gorgeous debut novel about an all-encompassing first love… I promise it’s amazing!
Jack Edwards @jack_edwards
Heart-rending . . . sensuous and decadent
Financial Times
A beautiful, lyrical and tender novel of youthful passion and the longing for connection
FERDIA LENNON, author of Glorious Exploits
A beautiful novel about how a first love can shape a whole life
HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for Hawk
A mature and complete debut novel . . . The central relationship occurs by light, sensitive touch, and reaches arresting emotional depths
New Statesman
Blisses with the bright verdure of youth . . . It’s a novel about us
KAVEH AKBAR, author of Martyr!
A gorgeous debut . . . a novel that thrums with hidden love and concealed truths
ANDREW McMILLAN, author of Pity and Physical
A luminous portrayal of two teenagers bonding with each other over one heady, transformative year
Waterstones

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