TIN MAN (Tinder Press 2017) by Sarah Winman has been on my TBR list ever since I read STILL LIFE, years ago now (still one of my favourite ever books). I had no idea what TIN MAN was about, only that it was written before STILL LIFE and everyone had good things to say about it. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to get to it – it’s short and can be read almost in one sitting – but I’m so glad I finally did.
This novel is an absolute gem. A portrait of life with all its cruelty, kindness, sadness, joy, sliding door moments and what ifs? It is about fate and chance, friendship, love, desire and loyalty. It is profound, affecting and moving. It’s a book I will never forget.
TIN MAN is set in two halves. The first is mostly from the perspective of Ellis, beginning in 1996 but going back and forth in time, as does the whole book. The opening chapter, set in 1950, is a simple tale of a wife defying her husband by choosing as a raffle prize a painting of sunflowers over a bottle of whisky – the sunflowers an image and talisman that reappears repeatedly throughout the story.
This novel is all about characterisation. These very real people – especially Ellis, Michael, Annie, Dora, Chris and G, will stain your heart. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, as it is short but full of surprises, some of which will take your breath away. The ending of the first half, and the beginning of the second half – from the point of view of Michael – is pure perfection.
Sarah Winman is an expert at navigating and investigating the vagaries of life, the choices we make and the results we then must live with. TIN MAN is concerned with the lives we have, the lives we think we want, the lives we believe others to have, the lives we could have had if only we’d made a different decision at a certain point, been a little kinder then or a little less dogmatic or punctilious. This is human emotion writ large on every page, pulsing with love and passion, with desperation and humility, with hope and joy. Highly recommend.