Review: Tin Man by Sarah Winman

Tin Man by Sarah Winman

Published: May 15, 2018

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Format: via Edelweiss

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

This is almost a love story. But it's not as simple as that.

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 that they jump off the page, Tin Man is a love letter to human kindness and friendship, and to loss and living.

My Thoughts

This is one book that will fill your heart yet will break it at the same time. You really take these characters to heart and you become so invested in them that you feel their pain and just want to protect and comfort them.

In the Tin Man, we met Ellis who has lost his wife and is just trying to go through the motions day after day. He lost his mother at a young age and is left with his father who doesn’t know how to deal with him. He soon finds solace in a woman named Mabel and soon her grandson Michael who comes to live with her. Soon Michael and Ellis become fast friends and in time something more. We know Michael and Ellis care deeply for each other and they keep whats between them just to them. As they grow older Ellis meets Annie and falls in love and soon marries. There is a time when Michael goes missing from their lives and no one knows what happens to him. He does come back and the bond between Annie, Ellis, and Michael is tight. I loved this friendship that is grounded in love and while Annie has had her suspences in the true nature of Michael and Ellis bond it never bothers her. As Ellis is trying to deal with his life he soon finds journals that belonged to Michael and he soon discovers where Michael was and how his life has been. We see his journey and the heartache he went through.

I really enjoyed this read while it was a quick, short and easy read it is a jammed packed emotional read. You have a novel of love that spans decades and genders. You have heartache then joy and heartache again. This read shows us that love isn’t defined by gender or race but simply by emotion. The heart wants what it wants and nothing can change that. This is one read that transcends and crosses all lines and while it will break your heart it’s a read that will make you believe in love.