Iron Man

Synopsis

Winner East Anglian Book of the Year 2022

In Iron Man, Lynne Bryan writes movingly and candidly about disability, the vulnerability of the body and mind, and the frailty and strength of our corporeality. She writes insightfully and thought-provokingly about the ways in which women’s access to head space and the physical and economic space for creativity can be restricted or blocked – sometimes by the people they love best and who love them best; and, of course, sometimes by themselves.

Praise for this Book

‘This memoir is modern and radical, and sometimes uncomfortable, but it’s also warm and straightforward. The structure is exciting, expanding the story of one family and their experience of disability to cover so much, to connect it to the world, to feminism, to art and writing and the creative process. It feels like a brave book, an important book, one that many many people will find inspiring.’ —Emma Healey

Praise for Previous Work

‘Bryan writes with sensual precision and jaunty assurance in crisp, lively prose... a narrative that has plenty of swagger and sparkle.’ —Observer

‘A heart-warming and poignant story of a young girl coming to grips with the world around her.’ —OK magazine

‘Bryan has a keen ear for the idiosyncrasies of kid-speak, and this ... makes her ... creation so touchingly real ... and ... alive’ —Liz Jensen, The Independent

‘Bryan reveals the tangled world of family relationships through Lily whose misunderstandings of adult... conversation raise many a smile.’ —Anthea Lawson, The Times

‘[Bryan's] take on the life of a fractured family is an honest and effective one.’ —James Smart, Glasgow Herald

‘A sweet and funny novel . . . a sustained act of ventriloquism.’ —The Times

‘All very fantastic-elastic.’ —Independent on Sunday

‘A powerful new writer.’ —The Daily Telegraph

‘An utterly convincing portrayal of childhood’s more uncomfortable upsets, from wet pants to absent dads.’ —Boyd Tonkin, The Independent