The Binding

by Bridget Collins

LOSE YOURSELF IN THE BREAKOUT SENSATION OF THE YEAR

SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

‘Brilliant’ Joanna Cannon
‘Spellbinding’ Guardian
‘Magic’ Erin Kelly
‘Immersive’ Sunday Times
‘Gorgeous' Stella Duffy
‘Astounding’ Anna Mazzola

Imagine you could erase your grief.
Imagine you could forget your pain.
Imagine you could hide a secret.
Forever.

Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice – but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.

He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, he can help. If there’s something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.

In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded.

Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it.

THE BINDING is an unforgettable, magical novel: a boundary-defying love story and a unique literary event.

• ISBN13: 9780008272111
• Publish Date: 10 January 2019 (first published 7 January 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: The Borough Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

Omfg this was so life changing... I cant even type atm. Omgomgomgomgomgggggg this is THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME! Ahhhh no words!

[Brittany]

Overall this was a mesmerizing adult novel full of adventure, love, heartache and everything in between. With its detailed writing and slow, intricate story building- It was one of the best, if not THE BEST, stand-alones I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

I’ll split my review into three main parts to accommodate the three parts to the book.

Part one- I was a bit confused and honestly not convinced I was going to enjoy this book at first. The writing was pretty and descriptive and the story itself seemed kind of intriguing, but nothing had really clicked with me yet. However, the end of part one, the dramatic turn of pace that was becoming something more exciting and something I understood hooked me.

Part two- This was something I could jive with. The new setting and getting to understand the MC better (who did I mention is male?) by going through what he had been through in his past, which brought things in the present into so much more focus, was amazing. The way this part was set up was a great twist that was unexpected (for it to be a whole part of the book anyway). It makes sense if you think about it but it was still unexpected in how much detail and background was given. (I’m really trying to explain this as best I can without spoiling anything) This part though somehow managed to take me SO high and then drop me down so low and my heart was breaking.

Part three- If someone told me beforehand about the structure change in part 3 I would have immediately assumed I wouldn’t like it (again I’m trying not to spoil things) but somehow it was the most unexpected and best turn the story could have taken. This last parts set up somehow even more solidified the five star rating that was already drumming in my heart after part 2.

This books is dark and will make you sad and happy and want to scream and cry and a million other things but it is so worth it I promise you. -that being said it is ADULT and DARK. There’s adult language, m/m romance (though sex is not a big detailed factor at all in the romance), there’s triggering things like rape, suicide, alcohol abuse, physical/psychological abuse and more. If these are things you don’t like in your books then don’t go into this thinking you will enjoy it. Even the fantasy aspect of this book is more on the low end for me personally. It’s like realistic fantasy and the magic of it all is more tangible than it is far fetched.

[roundtableknight]

“Memories,’ she said, at last. ‘Not people, Emmett. We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any harm. That’s all books are”
~
Rating: 4.5 stars (read June 7th 2020)
~
*chefs kiss* That's all I can really say about this book. The plot, story-line, and flow of the timeline weaved so well together that I didn't want it to end. This world was so intriguing and combined an old world of taboo to a new world were they embrace binding their memories. I fell deeply for both Lucian and Emmett, and their story was one full of heartache and hope, which I adored.

The only thing I wish that this book would have done is resolve a few more of the plot points, but I guess that is the point, to let your own creativity flourish to image the future for all these characters. I loved this novel, and I can't wait to read her next work.

[bestmessever]

This read just like a slow burn enemies to lovers fanfiction. And I say that as the highest compliment I can possibly give. It is very rare that a published book gives me the same range of emotions as a fanfiction. This is does that beautifully, I was pacing, clawing at my head and crying as I fell deeper into this story. These characters feel as real to me as friends and I count my blessings that I stumbled across this story.

[littleread1]

That ... was not what I was expecting from that book. I mean that in the best way. Just incredible. It did take me a while to really get invested in the story, but once I was sucked in, I was SUCKED in. A really really neat "magic" system of how books are made, as well as a journey of self discovery for Emmett. This might be the last book I finish in 2019, and man, what a book to close out the year. Stunning.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Books in this historical fantasy aren’t at all like ours. They are beautiful, leatherbound books created by Book Binders. These gifted creators, experience your story as if it is their own. They take all those memories of an event, person or place and bind them in YOUR book. The Binder then protect those books keeping your memories safe. You walk away with no memory of the story or in fact binding.

But, as with any gift some will abuse these powers. Imagine that power and wealth could have a crime erased, keep a witness from remembering. Why one could get away with the most heinous of crimes.

While not all binders are scrupulous some seek to profit. Greed can get you a book filled with the darkest tale. And worse, what if your memories were taken from you? While the person giving the memory must give consent we all know how social ladders work. A maid refusing consent could lose their position etc.

In The Binding, Collins shares a love story between a farmer and the son of a wealthy lord. I was surprised and delighted by the LGBT romance. At first it appears Lucian is interested in Emmett’s beautiful younger sister Alta. There was tension between Emmett and Lucian until the three became fast friends. It was a slow-building, innocent romance that soon became more.

The author pulled me in, with Emmett’s mysterious illness and discovery of his gifts. The story unfolds in both past and present. We follow Emmett and his sister, Alta, as they meet and befriend Lucian Darnay, then to the time Emmet is sent to the binder and eventually to the city to work for a binder.

The world building and writing pulled me in and held me spellbound. I enjoyed how the author showed all aspects of binding with its touch of magical realism. The characters came to life before me as the author revealed twists and turns that brought missing pieces of the story to life. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[tweetybugshouse]

This is no way a review but more notes to my future self. First part really good, second half some twisted forbidden romance, part three never made it. Not quite what I wanted in a story.