TIN MAN by Sarah Winman
There really was little to prepare me for the feelings invoked by Tin Man by Sarah Winman.
There really was little to prepare me for the feelings invoked by Tin Man by Sarah Winman. From the outset, this is a novel which sears itself into your soul and makes you feel, both with one’s heart and one’s gut.
This is a novel that is about love. It is about grief. It is about finding one’s way in life after experiencing love and grief and the inevitable questions we ask ourselves of “what if?”.
The story is essentially told in two halves: the first is Ellis, the second, Michael. From the age of 12, they are inseparable best friends, and the arrival of Annie into their lives - and Ellis’ heart - changes nothing and everything in their friendship. The three become inseparable, each experiencing a unique relationship with each other. That this is told from the perspective of the two men and, thus, seen through their unique lenses, is both beautiful and heartbreaking.
It is, of course, Annie, who is the centrepiece of their story. You sense that without her, the relationship between the men (in all their guises) would have been different.
As I said in my review of Winman’s Still Life, this is an author whose writing is beautiful to read. It is true she doesn’t use direct quotes when characters speak, but it is always clear in the context of a scene who is speaking. Winman brings the reader in and, frankly, grabs their heartstrings by the handful, never releasing for a moment. At not quite 200 pages in length, this is not a novel that would allow you to warm into these characters, and in Winman’s deft hands, the reader is invested quickly and totally.
When I finished reading this novel, I had to consciously not cry. Tears of heartbreak, tears of joy, tears of angst that the story was over so quickly. I had a physical response to this book - it truly is a beautiful piece of writing.
Published in 2017, if you have not read Tin Man yet then I wholeheartedly recommend it to you. And for those who have, well, if you know, you know, right?