A tender story about loss and finding hope in the face of tragedy, We Own the Sky reminds us that every day is a gift.
Rob Coates is broken. Once happily married to Anna, with a beautiful son, Jack, he is now a barely functioning alcoholic, unable to move on with his life. He runs a photography website, We Own the Sky, where he posts panoramic photos of places he’s visited with his son, and tries his hardest to forget the past. Slowly we learn what Rob is hiding from: Jack’s devastating diagnosis, the unraveling of his marriage, and his obsession with saving his son against all odds. As Rob is forced to confront how his past actions impacted those he loved, he must find a way to come to terms with a future without Anna and Jack—to find a way back to life, and forgiveness.
We Own the Sky is a heartbreaking yet life-affirming novel about love: between husband and wife and between father and son. It is about how we make sense of the senseless, and asks what you would do when confronted with the unthinkable. How far would you go to save your child? Heartrending and endlessly thought-provoking, Luke Allnutt’s debut is an awakening that shows when everything is lost, what survives is love.
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“How do we go on when there seems to be nothing to go toward? How can forgiveness really feel like mercy to ourselves? Luke Allnutt’s astounding debut is about memory, love, and how when we are broken, we still can become whole. Gut-wrenching, powerful, and yes, you want to buy copies for friends because this is the kind of book you’ll have to share.”
— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author
“With literary chops and dramatic intensity, this heartbreaking story of a father’s love that defies all reason takes off on the first page and never touches down.”
— Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author“Tender and raw, spun in pragmatic prose as personal as a friend’s heartfelt admissions, with turns as unexpected as life itself.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Allnut, who began this book after he was diagnosed with colon cancer, teaches us to cherish the simple things in life and that sometimes the only way to keep going is to share your story.”
— Library Journal (starred review)“British first-novelist Allnutt plunges the reader into narrator Rob’s experience of searing loss and the attendant denial, fear, anger, guilt, blame, and grief…Heartrending.”
— Booklist“A gripping, heart-squeezing story about how to carry on after losing what we love most. With grace, emotional keenness and a steady moral searchlight, Allnutt guides the reader through the darkest despair and back to hope. A brave and intense novel.”
— Val Emmich, author of The Reminders“A breathtaking read that describes perfectly the joy and pain that comes with loving fully and all the compassion and forgiveness it requires. Brimming with hope to the very end.”
— Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus“Both movingly tender and unflinchingly honest, We Own the Sky is story that will stay with me.”
— Isabel Ashdown, author of Little Sister“Heartbreaking and devastating and complicated, We Own the Sky offers something remarkable: light in the darkest dark and redemption where there ought to be none.”
— Laurie Frankel, author of This Is How It Always Is“This book will break your heart, but repair it too. Luke Allnutt’s writing is full of compassion. It made me hold my loved ones a little bit closer.”
— Katie May, author of The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club“Anyone who wishes David Nicholls would write faster needs to grab this with both hands. It’s a truly stunning achievement.”
— Jill Mansell, author of Meet Me at the Beachcomber BayBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Luke Allnutt grew up in the UK and lives and works in Prague.
Will M. Watt was determined not to be one of those penniless artists that his parents warned him about, so decided not to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Fate had other ideas, however, and that dream ruthlessly pursued him instead. A decade later, and Will now makes a living recording audiobooks, commercials, and video games, but admits that he’ll never be much good at writing about himself in the third person. Will’s accidental stumble into the world of voice acting has led him from a humble bedroom studio in Oxford, England, to the bright lights of New York City where he now lives with his two four legged roommates, Sara and Rachel.