"Tin Man," by Sarah Winman

Sarah Winman’s fiction is new to me. I also did not know much, if anything, about her as a British actor who has appeared in many films, plays, and television shows. But her new novel, “Tin Man” (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2017) completely grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. It is the story of an unusual triangle of friends and their relationships. Ellis and Michael are childhood friends who become lovers. Annie is the woman who later marries Ellis and welcomes Michael as the third member of their close (but nonsexual in the case of Annie and Michael) mutual relationship. On the face of it, such a very close, happy, longlasting relationship among the three (an apparently bisexual man, a gay man, and a straight woman) seems unrealistic or at least very unusual, yet Winman makes us believe in it, and rejoice in it. At some point, though, Michael disappears, and not until years later do we find out what happened. We also learn of the family backgrounds of the three, especially of Ellis and Michael. Ellis’ parents had a difficult marriage, but his mother Dora had a streak of strength and independence that served her and Ellis well; Dora also became a source of strength and nurturance to the young Michael, who badly needed her surrogate mothering. The characters are all compelling, and the story is both believable and mysterious. The writing is exceptional. Although I often or even mostly read authors I already know, I occasionally “discover” new (to me, at least) authors, and it is always a joy; Winman is the most recent writer in that category for me. Now I plan to find and read Winman’s earlier two novels. (No, I don't know if the fact that Tin Man and Winman rhyme is significant, and if so, how, but I would assume it has something to do with identification with the character.)