Contemporary literature

Sean Hewitt’s Open Heaven explores adolescent desire through the memory of a fascination that never quite becomes a love story. It opens with James returning to his village to visit the farm where Luke once lived. From there, the narrative looks back to James at sixteen, captivated by a handsome boy staying with his uncle amid difficult family circumstances, including his father’s imprisonment. The novel’s most appealing quality is its modest narrative scope. This is not a grand romance that ...