Open, Heaven

Author  Seán Hewitt
Open, Heaven

Named MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF 2025 by Vulture, Literary Hub, the BBC and RTÉ • One of IMAGE's 13 brilliant books being published in April

A stunning debut novel from the acclaimed young Irish poet Seán Hewitt, reminiscent of Garth Greenwell and Douglas Stuart 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 sixteen year old 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…