Really great read based on an incredibly original concept. The plot was complex enough to keep me guessing but not so much so that I was completely lost. This book started off quite slow and it did take a while to pick up pace, but once it did I was definitely glad I stuck with it. I really loved Bridget Collins' style, with her beautifully evocative writing, and I look forward to enjoying many more of her books in the future.

I had no idea what to expect when I 'picked up' this book as I didn't read the blurb - I just chose it because so many people were raving about it. And I can see why. The writing is highly atmospheric, vivid and magical. And while I guessed why the main characters were involved in the binding, I still found the book to be beautiful (inside and out - as I then bought myself a hard copy as well).

An incredible concept followed through with meticulous worldbuilding and a complex, beautifully-woven plot. An inspired, inspiring debut. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved the imaginative concept of the book and as a result went in to this story with fairly high expectations.
I was not disappointed.
Bridget Collins has a beautiful, evocative writing style that in "The Binding" spun a magical tale that felt as real as can be. The world itself is truly captivating and the writing meant i felt as though i could be part of it too.

This is a really well told story that had well developed plot points and characters. I love it when flashbacks are done well in a story and these were excellent. The pacing of this story was great and i was desperate to get to the end to see how everything turned out.

I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend.

The Binding is based on a markedly original idea about memories and books.

Bridget Collins imagines a world in which you engage the services of a book binder and whatever was causing you distress or pain can be erased from your memory. Your most traumatic memories are bound between the covers of a book and wiped clean away.

It sounds like the perfect cure but Bridget Collins shows us there are two problems with binding.

The first is that the people whose memories are erased are not made whole again by their binding. It’s so complete a cleansing process that it leaves the participants as mere shells of their former selves. It takes away not just their memories but the essence of their character. They are no longer themselves.

For the young apprentice binder Emmett Farmer the moment of binding wrenches out the deepest part of a person, leaving a hole in its place.

"Which was worse? To feel nothing, or to grieve for something you no longer remembered? Surely when you forgot, you’d forget to be sad, or what was the point? And yet that numbness would take part of your self away, it would be like pins and needles in your soul…"

What he comes to learn troubles him even more deeply. Memories, he discovers, can be stolen, treated as a commodity just like sugar or soap and sold for amusement and profit by manipulative, powerful figures.

Bridget Collins reveals a world of exploitation in which members of the aristocracy use bindings to hide their abuse of female servants.

"… when they leave they’re sucked dry, bound for the last time so they don’t remember anything, they’ll deny he ever touched them, they’ll tell everyone he’s a lovely man, delightful, and if every anyone tries to do something to stop him … He laughs, because he’s safe."

Beauty And Evil Of Books
Within the world of The Binding, books are things of beauty, covered in black velvet inlaid with pearls or bound in silk and shimmering like silver. But what they contain is powerful and evil, the people reading them dangerous.

This is a book about books both as objects of desire and as objects of abomination because they are written by people “who enjoy imagining misery … people who have no scruples about dishonesty.” .

It was this idea that kept me reading The Binding. It more than compensated for the rather uninspired romance between Emmett and a gentleman’s son that formed the bulk of the novel’s second and third sections.

The book starts strongly with Emmett, the teenage son of a farmer, apprenticed to Seredith, an old binder who lives on the edge of a marsh. Just as he is settling into his new life and learning his trade, he makes a discovery – one of the books in her bindery vault bears his name.

It’s just one of the many things in his life he doesn’t understand: why did his family feel he had brought disgrace to their home? Why was he so ill before he moved to the bindery? And why does he feel hatred towards Lucian Darnay, a boy his own age who arrives at Seredith’s home one day.

The answers are provided in the second section which winds back to a time when Emmett and his sister develop a strong friendship with Lucian Darnay. After the atmospheric and intriguing first section, part two was a big disappointment.

It was essentially a retelling of a well-known theme of initial aversion that becomes affection and eventually turns into love. I wasn’t surprised to discover later that Bridget Collins had previously focused on young adult fiction and The Binding is her first foray into adult fiction. I would happily have traded this romance in for more time in the company of Seredith, serene amid the russet and ochre- tiled workshop smelling of saffron and glue.

Fortunately the book perks back up with the final section which takes the story of Emmett and Lucian’s relationship into the future and in which we learn the truth about bindings.

This is a strong debut novel, written with pace and memorable imagery. With a few tweaks (to more fully realise Emmett’s sister for example) it would have been a knock out.

The Binding by Bridget Collins: EndNotes
Bridget Collins has written seven books for young adults and has had two plays produced, one at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

She was inspired to write her first adult novel, The Binding because of her work as a volunteer with The Samaritans. Faced with stories of pain and heartache she began to wonder what would happen if she could take the memory of the painful experiences away from them, leaving them to begin again.

In parallel she took a course in bookbinding. In an interview published on the Foyles blog, she said she was immediately seduced by the process:

… by the processes, the materials – the coloured papers, gold, leather, beeswax, silk – and the tools, which are made of wood and bone and metal. It was all wonderfully tactile, with a sort of subtle glamour that made me imagine another, older, world..

The Binding was published in Jan 2019 by Borough Press, an imprint of HarperCollins,

With thanks to the Borough Press and NetGalley for a review copy.

I absolutely adored The Binding! And even though it totally broke my heart and I know that I will be rereading it. I loved everything about it from the pacing and the plot to the characters. The writing was truly magical, and so immersive. I couldn't put The Binding down and I was so sad when the story ended - even though everything was wrapped up perfectly.
I really loved the concept of binding memories, and I love how there was a focus on the ethics of it, and how it is abused by those with wealth and power. Despite the focus being on something so magical, The Binding very much felt like a discussion upon ethics, morality and abuse of power - and that of parental pressure.
There were some very dark moments, some of the memories which were bound were heartbreaking. You can imagine why people would want to forget, would need to forget. I also love the fact that Emmett cried, several times of the course of the book. It was so refreshing to read about a male character that cried, that embraced their emotions. And those emotions really did escape from the page, I felt so connected to both Emmett and Lucian.
The Binding is a totally incredible and unique book. I will definitely be recommending it and I will be rereading it too.

This a really intriguing book. I found you had to really concentrate when reading but the result was well worth it. Emmett is sent to be a book binder and the story of her amazing life begins to unfold. This is hard to review without giving away the secrets of her life. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading any future books she might produce

Absolutely adored this. A wonderful fantasy novel, a little reminiscent of THE NIGHT CIRCUS in that magical-realism sense. Most popular book of the year so far at my book club!

I was so excited to read this book that I was too impatient to wait for net alley and went out and bought it the day before I was approved. It sounded like exactly my kind of book - I am fascinated by how authors write memory loss, especially in speculative fiction. The atmosphere of the book was set up really well, and the fear of books. I enjoyed most of the first half of the story but unfortunately it started to wane for me. It was all too clear that this was another literary book that needed fantasy/speculative fiction level worldbuilding but never got it. The worldbuilding was full of holes, especially concerning education and literacy itself, the emergence of novels, the process of binding memories in books and why that came first rather than just.... Writing. The world felt like a historical mirror to our own but I think history would look quite different without historical writing, diaries, holy books, etc telling us about the past. Even the lack of a printing press and news and people able to write letters and communicate across distances would really impact history, and none of these implications were explored. Instead the story focused on a romance and the manipulation of the main character's memory, which made the book as a whole feel too shallow with too little explored in any depth.

Original, excellent writing and a great storyline. Loved every minute spent reading this. Very well considered and crafted, with a slow build up that really draws you in. Was sad to finish it and will definitely read again...and again!

3.5*

I started reading this expecting something special and initially thought The Binding may be it. Just before a third of the way through i seemed to lose a bit of interest. However, it’s worth persevering as it does pick up again slightly, although the prose does ramble on far too much and the modern use of certain words and phrases really galled.

One thing I will say is I wasn’t expecting a YA book, but it certainly read that way. If I’d known this I wouldn’t have requested or chosen to read this book. Apparently it isn’t a YA book, but it did come across that way to me and i think it’s why I lost some interest.

I think it’s best to say as little as possible about the plot. There are lots of little surprises and twists that are worth discovering as you read the book. However, I did think the book was going to be more focused on the idea of books being evil and the binding of memories and magic. The focus instead moved elsewhere which was disappointing, which I do think is because the marketing was misleading.
I’d recommend to younger readers and fans of contemporary YA romance, but not to older readers expecting something more. Shame as I think the marketing let it down and accounts for the lower ratings.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, The Borough Press for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Gorgeous book! I absolutely loved it. The storytelling skills of the author and the quality of her writing are brilliant!

The story starts off quite grim and cold but then, bit by bit, it warms up with the lovestory at the heart of this book.
I got truly drawn in and couldn't stop reading it. It was also great to read something slightly unusual that hasn't been done a hundred times over before.

I will certainly recommend it and give it as a present.

Thank you for the ARC!

This book is such an original idea and quite different to what I expected. It starts very slowly and is dark and creepy, then part two and three are completely different in style and the pace quickens.
My minor criticism is there was a lot of characters feeling sick and being sick it seemed. I would've liked more of a range of description at those times.

I think I would've enjoyed this more if I hadn't read some unmarked spoiler reviews. So if you're picking this up I'd try to avoid those. In a way I can see why as the plot changes so much in part two it's tempting to explain why / genre.

Books are dangerous things. They contain painful memories that people have chosen to forget. After falling ill with Binder’s fever, Emmett Farmer is sent to become an apprentice to a binder – someone with the power to take a person’s memories and bind them into a book. But when events start spiralling out of Emmett’s control, dark secrets and forgotten lives are revealed.

I didn’t realise at all before reading, but The Binding is basically a gay romance, set in an unspecified historical period, with magic. I think I was expecting it to be predominantly a fantasy novel, but the romance is really the main feature of this book. Once I realised this (the romance doesn’t kick in until part two), I really enjoyed it. I found part one of the book pretty boring and slow, but I would say it’s worth pushing on because things really pick up in part two and beyond.

The idea of books containing people’s memories (and the person consequently forgetting) is a good one. Especially when questions of morality are brought it. It felt a bit trivial to begin with, but you can really see how much thought the author put into it when we’re introduced to people selling their happy memories for money, or evil people like Darnay Senior forcing others to have their memories wiped in order to carry out their own sick desires. It’s a clever idea which is vital to the story.

Besides Emmett and Lucian (from whose perspectives the story is told), the rest of the characters are good enough but not particularly memorable. The way the plot unfolds is effective, with the reader experiencing the story alongside the characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, but I’m not really sure it deserves all the hype it’s been given. It was good when it got going, but that really took too long.

This is a very slow moving plot, especially in the beginning. However, I did immediately (and very strongly) become invested in Emmett as a character. Some of his observations on books, family, love, sex, etc. were like poetry; I burrowed into my duvet and listened to this like it was my favourite sad indie playlist. At that point I started to really enjoy the fact that it was slow moving, with quite a bit of slice-of-life padded into the overall plot. I can see why some people might find it a bit boring though, especially if they thrive on a fast pace.

And let me just say at this point how SUPERB this audio performance is, my love for how this narrator told this story contributed to this 5 star rating, immensely. Wow.

There is something that happens at the end of part one, leading into the structure for part two that made this book go from like to LOVE, for me. The gothic romance vibe, the magical realism, the commentary on class, sexuality and family, AS WELL AS being a book about books with a forbidden love plot at its core - it was a perfect recipe for me.

Would you have your memories taken away? No matter how horrifying or how happy they were, would you willingly for money or peace of mind, let someone take select memories away?

Set in a world where a person’s memories can be taken and put into a book (the memories are bound), The Binding is a beautiful love story underpinned by the values of conservative society and a fantasy world of binding memories away from a person. Emmet Farmer is sent to become an apprentice to a mysterious binder who lives in the middle of nowhere, and it doesn’t take long for Emmet’s past and present to combine for a fascinating and moving journey of discovery and love.

I love, love, looooved this book. Emphasis on all of that. When I closed the book, my heart was swelling with such happiness and love I’m so grateful for. I will truly cherish this book for years to come. This contains one of the best love stories I have ever read. It’s something akin to Romeo & Juliet or Pride and Prejudice due to the time setting and the way I truly believed the love story.

Collins took my heart and twisted it... I wanted to pick Emmet and Lucian up like they were a child’s dolls and make them smooch already! I felt their chemistry, I felt their tensions, I felt their happiness, I felt their turmoils, I felt it all. I was invested up to every fibre of my being.

The tricky thing with The Binding is its structure and its synopsis. The synopsis infers this is a fantasy story, which is true, however I would say the fantasy element plays a minor role in the love story of Emmet Farmer and Lucian Darnay. I’ve now since seen a lot of reviews highlighting this, and I entirely agree. The Binding is, for the most part, a love story with the fantasy element coming second to that.

As well, the structure of the book is tough on the story’s pace. The Binding is split into three parts: the first part of the book sets up a world of dangerous books and the careers of binders, providing a really intriguing world building function. The second part of the book focuses on the developing romance between a high born male and a countryside farmer. The third part is a fusing of both part one and part two to give a high stakes climax.
Part one was painfully slow to read, which lasts until about 30% of the read. After this, it was smooth sailing and I largely read the book in one sitting as I was THAT invested.

I really loved the character Emmet. We see two sides of him - the meek and vulnerable side, and then the energetic and spirited side. Part one Emmet and Part two Emmet honestly read like two different people. These layers really impressed me, and I was further impressed by how Lucian in part two compared to Lucian in part three also read like two different people.

I will write for those who would like trigger warnings: there’s also a more serious tone to this story, on the topics of abuse, rape and killing animals.

The premise of The Binding was extremely interesting and I’d love to see Collins write something set in this world and expand upon what she’s created for binders and binding. It was really intriguing from the get go, and I want more.

I do see myself rereading this because I loved it. Emmet and Lucian is a coupling I never imagined in my wildest dreams is the ship I’d be willing to go down with. I would have happily rated this book 5 stars - but the slow beginning was quite painful to get past. So that’s why it’s getting 4 stars. I genuinely think The Binding is brilliant evidence of how masterful of a writer Collins can be, and I am eagerly anticipating her upcoming novel, The Betrayals. I've already preordered it!


Thank you kindly to the publishers and Netgalley for my e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this. The book is split into three quite different sections. The first section was pretty slow but a very intriguing introduction to the world of binding. The other two sections very much focused on the romance storyline. While I did enjoy this, there really wasn't much world building or explanations into the magic of binding at all and I feel like this would have made the story much more interesting. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to have created this really interesting magical process of binding memories into books but not going into any depth at all about how it worked.

A wonderful book. I was unsure where this tale would take me and was delighted at every turn of the page.

A marvellous book to both read and to look at.

Review publicada en el podcast Tryperion, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0cF77RVoKlPxYwMVXWhOQQ?si=ke0raJaJQpKkb4fcBE2k9g

4/5 Una historia con un inicio que no me convenció, pero que cogió personalidad e interés con dos últimos tercios llenos de giros inesperados y una trama que interesaba hasta su conclusión.

There are some books that I find I really want to love. Not loving them feels like I've let yourself down or failed to meet my own reading expectations. But there's something not quite right. And, for some indefinable reason, I just don't love the book. 

The Binding is one such book and believe me when I say that I am SO frustrated that I don't adore it! Everyone else LOVES this book. Well-loved and respected friends with similar reading tastes to my own have urged me to read it. My book club thought it was fantastic. The lovely lady at my local library said she loved it. It's historical. It's Gothic. It has fantasy elements. And a forbidden love story. It's about BOOKS, for crying out loud! To all intents and purposes, The Binding should be EXACTLY the sort of book that I adore.  

So why didn't I? 

Well, it's not that I didn't like the book. If you take even a cursory glance at my review policy you'll know that I don't review books that I don't finish and I don't finish books I don't like.

And there's a lot that I LIKED about The Binding. The premise - that books can be bound to contain painful memories - is absolutely ingenious and is perfectly incorporated into a rich pseudo-historical setting (the era is never made 100% clear but, if I had to guess, I'd hazard late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century). 

Into this vibrant world Collins drops a series of well-crafted characters including the naive apprentice binder Emmett Farmer, the charismatic and mysterious Lucian Darnay, the sinister De Havilland, and the enigmatic Seredith. The interplay between them is complex, with truths being gradually revealed as the plot progresses and a beautiful forbidden love story emerges from behind the shadows of the bindings. 

My problem was one of pacing versus payoff. I can cope with a meditative tale - some stories should be savoured not devoured and, arguably, The Binding is one of them. But if I'm going to read a book where information is drip-fed and teased out across several hundred pages, or where the relationship has the slowest of burns, I want the eventual payoff in the finale to be worth the wait. And, for me anyway, The Binding just didn't quite achieve that.

Without giving away any spoilers, there's a change of perspective in the middle of the book that, I felt, took away some of the narrative imperative. I was also able to take a fairly accurate guess at the events that were to come as a result of this switch. Given that the book has a somewhat slow start, it was disappointing, for me anyway, that the major reveals were exactly what I expected them to be and that the ending, though explosive in its own way, felt as if it left a number of plot strands somewhat unresolved.

 I also found the pace to be frustratingly slow at times. It takes a good while before the concept of 'binding' is really explained and, owing to the groundwork required to set the scene, a good 100 pages for the plot to really get going. I have to admit that I didn't quite believe Emmett, even given how ill he is when the book opens, would be quite so patient about not being told anything about the profession to which he has been apprenticed! I think it's probably for this reason that, although I found that The Binding absorbed me whilst I was reading it, I just didn't have that pull to return to it when I put it down. 

As I hope you can tell I really wanted to love The Binding. I certainly liked a great deal about it - the atmosphere, the premise, the characters - and I know a great many people who have adored the book. I'm sure I'll get over my frustration at not immediately wanting to place this on my 'Keeping Forever' shelf - definitely one of those cases of 'it's not you, it's me' as far as this bookish relationship goes. But I'll certainly keep my eye out for whatever Bridget Collins writes next.

So although The Binding it didn't quite hit the spot for me in terms of being a book that I adored, it's definitely one I would recommend if you love Gothic or historical reads, or are looking for something a little bit different.