Seán Hewitt, renowned for his two acclaimed poetry collections and a celebrated memoir, unveils his highly anticipated debut novel Open, Heaven. This tender and emotionally charged narrative not only highlights Hewitt’s mastery in prose but also presents a poignant portrait of gay desire, drawing on the rich English literary tradition.
The novel’s title, derived from William Blake’s Milton, invokes the poet’s evocative depiction of navigating through “realms of terror and mild moony lustre,” reflecting the deep emotional and sensual landscape that defines Hewitt’s exploration of love and identity.
Open, Heaven opens with a lyrical echo of literary giants such as T.S. Eliot and L.P. Hartley. In its opening lines, the novel sets a meditative tone, evoking a sense of time’s fluidity: “Time runs faster backwards. The years – long, arduous and uncertain when taken one by one – unspool quickly … the garden sends its snow upwards, into the sky, gathers back its fallen leaves, and blooms in reverse.” The narrative follows James, a librarian, who has lived a life defined by emotional restraint, having loved his husband without desire. Following a divorce, James retreats into his memories, hoping to resolve a sense of unfinished business from his past. His search leads him back to Thornmere, a village where his youth was marked by an intense and unrequited love for a boy named Luke.
Set in 2002, James is a young man caught between the complexities of his sexuality and family dynamics. A shy yet proud figure, he spends his early mornings delivering milk and grappling with his feelings towards Luke, whose mysterious and reckless nature both captivates and confuses James. The pair’s friendship grows into an intimate bond, setting the stage for a love that is as beautiful as it is fraught. James reflects, “I had come to find love, knowing it would deplete me … what was that, if not bravery?”
Hewitt excels in portraying the raw, vulnerable nature of first love, especially within the context of a young gay man navigating an often unsupportive environment. The narrative is marked by James’s internal conflict as he longs for a reciprocated affection from Luke, whose own troubled past and complex emotional landscape mirror James’s desire for connection. Their evolving relationship is framed within a world where desire is both a sanctuary and a risk, where being true to oneself is often overshadowed by the need to hide one’s true identity.
Throughout the novel, Hewitt’s language is as precise as it is evocative, capturing the natural world with vivid imagery. The beauty of the landscape, from the “bright sky-blue blankets of forget-me-nots” to the “ruched in the dappled light,” mirrors James’s awakening sexuality, imbuing the novel with a sense of intimate connection to the earth. The prose is not simply functional; it is deliberately crafted to create an atmosphere of tension and longing, ensuring that every scene, every image, serves to deepen the emotional resonance of the story.
In his portrayal of Englishness, Hewitt strikes a delicate balance between affection and detachment, presenting a vision of rural life that is both familiar and slightly removed. The novel is rooted in a quintessentially English landscape—hedgerows, horse chestnuts, and rugby clubs—yet also infused with a sense of melancholy and decay, symbolized by derelict barns and forgotten roads. This blend of nostalgia and disillusionment underpins the emotional journey of the novel’s characters.
Open, Heaven is not merely a novel about first love; it is a profound meditation on the sanctity of desire, the complexity of sexual identity, and the inescapable passage of time. In his trademark style, Hewitt combines emotional depth with lyrical beauty, presenting a work that challenges readers to confront the nuances of human connection. This novel, like his poetry, speaks directly to the heart, resonating with the painful beauty of love’s imperfections.
With Open, Heaven, Hewitt firmly establishes himself as a novelist capable of weaving together rich emotional landscapes and intellectual depth, offering a rare and introspective look at the heart of human desire. This debut work will no doubt cement his place among contemporary literary voices, hailed for his unflinching honesty and his ability to transform personal experience into universal art.
