And Ellis remembered thinking he would never meet anyone like him again, and in that acknowledgement, he knew, was love. What a beautiful, bittersweet story about first love.Tin Man is a short book at just over two-hundred pages, but it packs a powerful punch. It follows the intoxicating relationship between Ellis and Michael, from the time they were young boys. In their youth, the pair create their own little world of cycling, swimming and art in 1960s Oxford, a world that eventually graduates from intense friendship into romantic love.Art is an important theme, but it doesn't overtake the human and very emotional aspects of the story. From deep discussions with Ellis' mother about Van Gogh and the sunflower painting she keeps hung in their house, to Ellis' passion for drawing that is crushed by his father's insistence that he work in a car factory, art plays a huge role in the story. Much of the novel's setting is in a time that's unfriendly to boys who like art and reading, and even less friendly to boys who like other boys. As we discover early on, it is now 1996 and Ellis is a grown man who married Annie, and Michael is nowhere to be seen. What happened to change things so dramatically? Can Ellis ever recover what has been lost?It's a super quick read, but incredibly moving. The rich, vivid descriptions of the English countryside and the South of France remind me of Call Me by Your Name; the gay love story spanning several decades reminds me of The Heart's Invisible Furies. But, to be honest, it's also something completely unique, too.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube