Tin Man by Sarah Winman
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (May 15, 2018)
Review copy provided by Putnam
Description:
Ellis and Michael are twelve-year-old boys when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day this closest of friendships grows into something more.
But then we fast-forward a decade or so, to find that Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question: What happened in the years between?
With beautiful prose and characters that are so real they jump off the page, Tin Man is a love letter to human kindness and friendship, and to loss and living. (publisher)
My take: Tin Man is a slim novel (224 pages) that made me overflow with emotions (yes, it really did) as I read the story of Ellis, Michael and Annie. It is about loss, betrayal, unconditional acceptance and, ultimately, love – in many forms. It was sad and lovely and filled with lush (yet spare) descriptions that easily pulled me into each scene. From now on I’ll think of Tin Man when I see Vincent van Gogh’s sunflower paintings. Read the publisher’s description – if it sounds like a book you might like to try I think you should. I’m so glad I did. Book groups would find it a good discussion book. Many thanks to Putnam for sending a review copy.
Praise for TIN MAN:
“A beautiful book—pared back and unsentimental, assured, full of warmth, and told with a kind of tenderness that makes you ache.” —Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
“This is an astoundingly beautiful book. It drips with tenderness. It breaks your heart and warms it all at once.” —Matt Haig, author of How to Stop Time
“Such an exquisite package of literary merit.”—Annie Philbrick of Bank Square Books
“Winman is a master storyteller…”—Gayle Shanks of Changing Hands Bookstore
“…one of the most loving stories of our time.”—Luisa Smith of Book Passage
“Subtle, piercing, achingly beautiful…”—Marion Abbott of Mrs. Dalloways
“Tin Man is a perfect read.” —Alison Reid of Diesel, A Bookstore
“A beautiful little book…”—Kurestin Armada of Little City Books
“It’s just perfect in every way.”—Maria Roden of Orinda Books
“I didn’t cry, but I ached.” —Todd Miller of Arcadia Books
About the author:
Sarah Winman is the author of two novels, When God Was a Rabbit and A Year of Marvelous Ways. She attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to act in theatre, film, and television. Sarah grew up in Essex and now lives in London.
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