In a home ruled by a domineering father and husband, a copy of a Vincent van Gogh painting of sunflowers is a bright spot, a colorful and vibrant window into possibility. It represents hope and love for Dora Judd, and as her son Ellis grows up, it comes to symbolize those qualities for him as well. TIN MAN by Sarah Winman is the story of Ellis Judd, his relationship with his mother and wife, but most especially, his relationship with Michael, who was his neighbor, first love and polestar. This beautifully written novel is short enough to be read in just one or two sittings, yet is enthralling and powerful enough to lose oneself in its emotional grip.

Michael comes to live with his grandmother, Mabel, across the street from the Judd family following his father’s death. Ellis is there to greet and welcome him. The 12-year-olds become friends immediately; Ellis is quiet and serious, while Michael is expressive and curious. What develops between them is more than just a friendship. They find safety with each other, explore their sexuality together, and fall in love. Growing up, their bond only deepens, even to the point of deciding to leave England together and begin a new, freer life in the region of France that meant so much to Dora and to van Gogh.

"Winman is a skilled writer, and TIN MAN is a marvelous, nuanced meditation on love and loss, identity and belonging. "

That plan, however, never materializes. Instead, Ellis meets Annie, and what was the pair of men is now a trio of close friends, lovers and ex-lovers. Their happiness is as simple as their feelings are complex, and even when Ellis and Annie marry, Michael continues to be a presence in their lives. They inevitably drift apart, and what follows are years of loss and loneliness for the two men. Ellis has the work that his father forced him into, and Michael finds himself caring for a friend dying of AIDS and watching his own body for signs that he has contracted it as well.

Ellis and Michael move toward and away from each other throughout their lives. They are often caught in the realm of memory, their present lives colored by their past. Readers know early on that tragedy befalls them, and Winman slowly unpacks their tale and moves closer to those terrible events before returning to the present day.

TIN MAN (the title is a subtle reference to THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ) is divided into two main sections: one following Ellis and the other Michael. Both perspectives are raw and honest, finely written and melancholy. Both Dora and Annie are compelling secondary characters, and their love for and acceptance of Ellis and Michael are essential for both men. Van Gogh’s painting and his biography, as well as Arles, France, are employed by Winman to great effect. Ellis and Michael are, of course, the stars here. Ellis’ story is perhaps the most affecting and the better written. Yet the entire book is intense and lovely, even exquisite.

Winman is a skilled writer, and TIN MAN is a marvelous, nuanced meditation on love and loss, identity and belonging.