Tin Man : Sarah Winman

Tinman, Sarah Winman’s third novel after Internationally best-selling book when God was a rabbit and A Year of Marvellous Ways. In her previous two novels, she has revealed herself to be a writer of great empathy and a sensitive chronicler of the impact of grief. But here, she suppresses all the above by creating an unforgettable and heartbreaking novel celebrating love in all its forms, and the little moments that make up the life of one man.

The story begins in 1950 when Dora Judd wins a Christmas raffle and as a prize, she is presented with an artistic reproduction of van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”. This picture reminds her of "Freedom. Possibility. Beauty.” As the story leaps forward, she gives birth to her son, Ellis, love and joy once again are a part of her life. She recognizes her son’s artistic talent and encourages his efforts.  When Dora passes away, his father told him to give up such a foolish pastime – so at sixteen years old he begins working at a car plant in Oxford. Hence Ellis Jud, our main protagonist, the 'Tin Man'.

Later, Ellis meets Annie, a woman who is going to be the love of his life. After marriage Ellis introduces Annie to Michael ( Ellis's boyhood friend, who is a motherless gay boy). The trio share a friendship deep and true which is mentioned in the book like,

The tight friendship ends abruptly when Michael leaves for London after his grandmother’s death. Skipping ahead in time and Ellis Judd is forty-five years old. His life’s joy has vanished with the passing of his beloved wife, Annie. He has chosen to work the night shift at the plant as he cannot sleep at night anymore.

The plot of Tin Man is more about what’s not said, than what is, and I love the painful ambiguity because it’s so real. There are often things we find hard to admit, and perhaps never say at all, so the reflection of that in this book is intoxicatingly compelling. The most important part is Winman's writing, it is so powerful and convincing and breathtaking at the same time. This entire book review could be just me telling you quotes from the book. Like, 

To me, this book is a beauty with a tinge of melancholy running through it. If you’re a fan of A Little Life then you’ll like this book. Obviously, you are going to need a whole lot of tissue but I think this is what it means to be human.

Book Recommendation: 8.3 / 10