All Down Darkness Wide cover art

All Down Darkness Wide

A Memoir

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All Down Darkness Wide

By: Seán Hewitt
Narrated by: Seán Hewitt
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A luminous and haunting memoir from the prize-winning poet—a story of love, heartbreak and coming of age, and a fearless exploration of queer identity and trauma.

When Seán meets Elias, the two fall headlong into a love story. But as Elias struggles with severe depression, the couple comes face-to-face with crisis. Wrestling with this, Seán Hewitt delves deep into his own history, enlisting the ghosts of queer figures and poets before him. From a 19th-century cemetery in Liverpool to the pine forests of Gothenburg, Hewitt plumbs the darkness in search of solace and hope.

All Down Darkness Wide is an unflinching meditation on the burden of living in a world that too often sets happiness and queer life at odds, and a tender portrayal of what it's like to be caught in the undertow of a loved one's suffering. By turns devastating and soaring, it is a mesmerising story of heartache and renewal, and a work of rare and transcendent beauty.

©2022 Seán Hewitt (P)2022 Penguin Audio Art & Literature Authors Biographies & Memoirs Literary History & Criticism Memoir Heartfelt LGBTQIA+

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You can certainly tell Seán Hewitt is a poet. The words drip off the page. One of the best books about the reality of living with, and caring for someone with depression can be. It also rendors perfectly what a debilitating emotion shame can be.

I definitely want to seek out someone Seán Hewitt's poetry now. I am not generally a re reader but I shall definitely be returning to this one as I think the more I read it the more I will get from it.

Can I also recommend reading and listening to this book at same time as the author reads it himself which makes it even more poignant.

This a beautiful and very brave memoir

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Poetry is woven throughout this account of the author’s growth and relationships. His love for the poetry of Gerald Manley Hopkins is evident and gives the book a fluency and flow reminiscent of the works of Seamus Heaney. The tragic relationship in Sweden is the central concern and the mental health issues are dealt with sensitively. A book that will stay with you for months.

Very personal and profoundly moving

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Despite the terrible narration, really enjoyed this queer coming of age memoir with its searingly honest portrayal of depression. Highly recommended.

Highly recommended

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A truly beautifully written memoir full of literary depths- Gerard Manley Hopkins, Digby Dolben, Karin Boye. I learned so much while being moved by a familiar story of identity struggles and falling in love. The author narrates, which in general I find a problem on audible - a professional actor would have made this book sing, whereas the author read so slowly and flatly it almost made me give up. I bought the hard copy in the end and sailed through its poetry.

Haunting memoir

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Seán writes beautifully and honestly. You feel yourself walking with him through the streets he writes about and sitting there in his small apartment as he navigates love and fear. One of the best reads for me

Beautifully and honestly written

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