About

Join Mr B's to discuss Hewitt's deeply moving debut novel – Open, Heaven.

Mr B's Events Manager, Emma, got her hands on an early copy and read Open, Heaven back in September of last year and was left in awe of Hewitt's lyrical prose. She immediately knew they had to get Seán to come and talk to us about it.

Set in the English countryside, the novel unfolds over the course of one year as two teenage boys meet and transform each other's lives. Reminiscient of Benjamin Myers' The Offing, and Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, Open, Heaven is set to be one of the most unforgettable books of 2025.

Seán is the author of two poetry collections, Tongues of Fire and Rapture's Road, and a memoir, All Down Darkness Wide. He collaborated with the artist Luke Edward Hall on 300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World.

Seán will be in conversation with Noreen Masud, author of the Women's Prize Shortlisted memoir, A Flat Place, a huge Mr B's team favourite.

About the book:

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?

'Tender, timeless, troubled and true, Seán Hewitt's desirous debut sees him as something of a modern successor to the heady and heartfelt writings of DH Lawrence or EM Forster. In other words: the real deal '
BENJAMIN MYERS

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

'Hewitt writes with such tenderness and grace' ANNE ENRIGHT

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