Sarah Winman's TIN MAN is Mawkish Love Triangle

 Sarah Winman (b UK 1954) is a novelist and actress.  Her latest novel "Tin Man" is a mawkish love triangle between 2 men and a woman.  The two men met as young lads outside London and developed a life-long friendship.  Their friendship develops into a physical relationship between Michael and Ellis.  Michael is assured with his homosexuality whereas Ellis' emotions ebb and flow between love and shame.  As adults, Ellis meets Annie and the two marry.  A family of sorts is formed between all 3 with Ellis at the center of the happy trio.  Michael bears the horrible pain of loss & worry during the AIDS epidemic of the 80s.  Ellis' melancholy follows the death of his beloved mother and his equivocations regarding his sexual identity.  Annie is happy forming a trio. The novel is structured around a copy of Van Gogh's painting of sunflowers.  There is a major theme of loneliness and analogies of gay men who live their lives hidden.  Both Ellis and Michael narrate.  Michael's story is revealed mainly in an epistolary manner read by Ellis after Michael's death.  "Tin Man" aspires to be a literary elegy on art, love, loneliness and compassion.  I found the story mawkish & dull.  The writing is pedantic and the drama fatuous.  Ellis reflects on when their lives were less complicated.  "A brief window, not yet shattered, when music still stirred, when beer still tasted good when dreams could still be hatched at the sight of a plane careering across a perfect sky."  "Tin Man" aspires to an epiphany of transformation & acceptance.  I do not recommend TIN MAN which aims for loftiness but rings as hallow sounding as banging on the Tin Man where his heart was missing.