Emmett Farmer is working at the family farm where they are struggling to make ends meet when a letter arrives asking him to become an apprentice Bookbinder. He has always been drawn to books although they have been forbidden at home.

Seredith believes he is a binder born. He learns under her how to handcraft the leather bound books. Inside is someone’s memory of something they want to forget. The books are created and then locked away in the vaults underneath the workshop. He discovers a book with his name on it, which both excites and terrifies him. He finds out that some bookbinders sell the books to whoever will pay the highest price…

Privileged Lucian Darnay comes into their lives and his sister Alta falls head over heels in love. He is currently staying with his Uncle and so they fall into an uneasy friendship of sorts. Later in the book Darnay will become so much more to him and their paths cross more than once..

It’s a stunning novel, which I’m still thinking about now even though I struggled with it a bit in the middle. Would recommend however.

This book is incredible and is a must-read for all! It's the most beautifully told historical fiction novel about love across the class divide, what we'll do to forget and the complexities of family. It's phenomenal storytelling.

This book is fantastic. It drew me in from the beginning, with such an original story line. It is a story of sadness,pain but at the true core of the book, love One of the main characters Emmett Farmer is a binder, an art practised in his time where people can have their memories they want to forget bound in a book, sealing the memories within its pages, before Emmett became a binder he had memories bound in a book. Lucian Darney an aristocrat,. the other main character from this book, also had memories bound in a book, as the story unfolds, we get to see how the connection between these characters are linked. Unputdownable, thank you to Bridget Collins for writing this book, and to the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Let me start by saying The Binding is a beautiful book, it is definitely a case of judging a book by its cover. In this situation is it also a case of judging a book by its pages which are purple.

I had heard a lot about The Binding before I chose to request it for review, but the publication date arrived prior to approval so I bought it anyway because I was convinced I would like it and I did. A few days after buying the book I received the kindle version for review.

The Binding is a real treat for book lovers with its unique and captivating story Bridget Collins has created the kind of book I wish I could write. This is the second book this year that I have known without a doubt will be in my top books of the year list. I can’t put into words how much I loved it.

Emmet Farmer is working in the fields alone when his sister Alta comes to find him. He was finishing up because he was slower than the others due to a recent mystery illness.

“I dropped into a crouch, catching my breath at the pain in my bones. Better than it had been – better than the splintery, sickening spasms that had come unpredictably for months – but I still felt as brittle as an old man. I clenched my jaw. I was so weak I wanted to cry; but I wasn’t going to, I’d die first, even if the only eye on me was the full, fat harvest moon.”

When he and Alta get back to the house they overhear their parents arguing about a letter from ‘the binder’ wanting them to send Emmet to them as an apprentice.

Emmet is confused about why his mum seem happy to send him to the binders as an apprentice and that it is nothing to be afraid of.

“I couldn’t put it into words: the swift change of subject if someone even mentioned a book, the shiver of distaste at the word, the look on their faces.”

Emmet’s pa tells him he is to leave the next day and he seems pleased to get him out of the house.

“You go, boy. Heaven knows you’ve brought enough trouble on this house.”

Via Emmet’s memories we learn that books are seen as sordid things, things to be avoided at all cost.

“Once, at school, someone had muttered something about old Lord Kent having a library: but when everyone snickered and rolled their eyes I didn’t see why that was so bad. I’d read a book: whatever was wrong with him, I was the same. Under everything, deep inside me, the shame was still there.”

Emmet leaves the next morning with little acknowledgement and is taken to the binder who lives deep in the marshes. Seredith is an old lady shrouded in superstitions and suspicion, known as a witch.

Seredith was my favourite character in this book. Underneath her tough exterior she is kind and compassionate, but she is also blunt and brutally honest. She was also a useful tool in introducing the reader to the craft of book binding and the negativity surrounding it.

'Think I’ve got this old without knowing what people say about me? About us.’ I looked away, but she went on as if she hadn’t noticed. ‘Your parents kept books away from you, didn’t they? And now you don’t know what you’re doing here.’

‘You asked for me. Didn’t you?’



She seemed not to hear. ‘Don’t worry, lad. It’s a craft like any other. And a good one. Binding’s as old as the alphabet – older. People don’t understand it, but why should they?’ She grimaced. ‘At least the Crusade’s over. You’re too young to remember that. You’re good fortune.'

Seredith is a binder with scruples and teaches Emmet a set of guidelines she abides by. Through Emmet we learn that it is wrong to sell books. Books are made for the people they are about not for readers. The people who came to binders (the bound) come to have their memories taken away because they are terrible or cause them too much pain. It is meant to be a once in a lifetime situation. She also teaches him that books need to be protected at all costs.

“Books should be beautiful,’ Seredith said. ‘No one sees, that’s not the point. It’s a way to honour people – like grave-goods, in olden times.’

Seredith is out in the marshes because she chooses to let anyone who wants to come to her to be bound not just the rich. The only people she turns away are those she knows will carry on doing terrible things, those whose memories don’t deserve to be absolved.

Lucian Darnay is a rich and entitled young man who we first meet when he comes to Seredith to be bound. Emmet is the one who sees him first and feels uncomfortable because of the hatred in Lucian’s gaze.

Much later in the story we learn what is behind the hatred in Lucian’s gaze.

Emmet initially finds it hard to adapt to his roll as a binder’s apprentice and to let go of the prejudices surrounding the craft. This leads to him saying some hurtful things to Seredith.

‘You steal their souls.’ My voice cracked. ‘No wonder they’re afraid of you. You lure them here and suck them dry, you take what you want and send them away with nothing. That’s what a book is, isn’t it? A life. A person. And if they burn, you die’…

‘Memories,’ she said, at last. ‘Not people, Emmet. 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.’

Later in the book we are introduced to a decidedly unscrupulous binder by the name of De Haviland. He disregards the sets of rules Seredith imposes on herself and mocks her for them. He works only for the rich and is more than willing to have people come back to him as many times as they want as long as he is being paid.

I immediately took a dislike to him when he was introduced to the novel and I am sure many other readers did.

Emmet feels nothing but contempt for de Havilland and shows it until Seredith warns him that he may need him in the future. She turns out to be right and Emmet ends up via a set of circumstances becoming his apprentice.

His time with de Havilland introduces him to the side of binding that perpetuates its negative image. For example, the poor who use their memories as currency continuously and have their memories bought by binders and sold for people to read. He is also exposed to those who encourage or force others to have their memories wiped for their own gain.

During the course of the story, we learn more about Emmet’s past and his mysterious illness. There is much more I could say about this rich novel but I don’t want to put too many spoilers in this review.

I will say that The Binding has found a place among my favourite books of all time.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a well worked piece of historical fantasy. The setting is sort of medieval / Tudor, simpler times with a sinister and complex twist. The culture around books is complex and revealed slowly. as they are the method by which unwanted memories can be stored away. Response to this is understandable mixed, some find it enjoyable to read the memories of others, to have power by holding onto the books of others, others use it as a last way to make money, the equivalent of selling 'donated' blood maybe, while the more straightforward part of the community find it abhorrent and a practice to be shunned at all costs.

Into this situation the author places a pair of lovers and a very unfortunate, slightly spoiled little sister. The relationships between the three are well drawn although Emmett proves to be so hesitant and unsure in the earlier part of the novel that he seems to be holding up the action and the progress of the story.

What is most enjoyable throughout is the very deft use of simple, slightly staccato phrases to set the scene, suggest the atmosphere, imply the emotions, of the characters. A very skilful use of telling phrases which make the book extremely atmospheric.

It does seem that the central passage of the book, the dawning realisation of love and passion, is a little longer than needed and seems to require some editing. At this point the story dragged and needed some impetus.

However, a fascinating premise, as we all can relate to the wish to get rid of those painful memories which haunt sleepless nights.

My thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this novel.
If you like your fantasy rich then this novel is for you. Take a dollop of romance, hierarchy, social mores and magic and you have a heady mix. If the truth be told I didn’t think it would be for me – I had seen some mixed reviews. It is a marmite novel – spread thick.
The premise is intriguing and within the confines of the book’s covers is okay, think Dumbledore and the Pensieve and then add some.
I liked the writing and the pace gradually builds pulling you in. So, from starting our a doubter Bridget Collins now can add me to her converts – or should that be coven?
I give it 5 stars and look forward to more from this talented author.

Imagine being able to have all painful memories, trauma or misdeeds you have committed, removed by having them bound up in a book, which is then kept safe in a vault.
Sounds like a wonderful idea..... except there are some unscrupulous bookbinders who seek to make money, meaning your book of bad memories could fall into the wrong hands. Or what if your memories were erased against your will by those doing you wrong? Or what if you find a book with your name on it, full of memories you can’t remember? That’s what happens to Emmett, a young man who has become an apprentice bookbinder. When he finds a book with his name on, it begs the question what memories did he have removed and why?

The book is a powerful and emotional tale of romance, magic and cruelty, with some very dark elements, so not always an easy read, but definitely thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

i think the description undersells this book. The first part moves slowly, setting the scene, providing the detail to make this a simple but complex story.
It took me a while to get into, but as Emmett develops as a character it gets more and more interesting.
This book is brilliant because it doesnt feel like a book thats about magic, its about doing the right thing, and being happy with who you are - even if the people around you dont agree.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect with this book, the concept of having your memories bound in a book sounded really intriguing and was what initially drew me to this story as I wondered what tale the author would tell. It took a rather unexpected turn for me however and turned more into a story about the love two people share and how people who are meant to be together will come together whatever the odds.

I really enjoyed the magical elements to this book with the idea that people can lock their memories away in books and forget they ever happened. It poses some interesting questions about whether ignorance really is bliss or whether we need those bad memories as sometimes the bad things that happen to us shape who we are for better or worse. I could see this book making a really good book club read as it has a lot of interesting notions that could be explored.

I thought this story worked perfectly in the time period it was set, long enough ago when superstition was rife and certain things were severely frowned upon. The author beautifully put across the feelings between two people in an emerging relationship and the passion and love they felt for each other.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a completely unique story from anything I’ve read. If you like books that leave you with a little warm feeling inside when you finish then this book is for you.

I found this book a really interesting topic. A world in which a person can bind memories that they don't want to remember any more. In the past it was, of course, only used for good, erasing memories of people that had been raped, lost a child, etc, but as with everything the skill can become corrupt - when there is money to be made...erasing the memory of someone you have blackmailed, etc, so you can get away with criminal activities..

Our main character Emmett Farmer receives a letter summoning him to become a book binder - he doesn't want to go, and is reticent at first. Just as he starts to come around to the idea events out of his control take place and Emmett is plunged into a whirlwind of emotions and suddenly everything starts to come together and make sense.

I did enjoy reading this book, though I never came around to liking any of the characters, and I wasn't gripped by it as much as other books I've read this year, hence my rating of 4 stars. It's a nice easy read - a good holiday book.
My thanks to Netgalley and HarperFiction for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie, the cover is really what drew me to this book. Yes, there's an abundance of covers designed in this style at the moment, but that doesn't make them any less stunning...

Emmett Farmer is recovering from a mystery illness. Feverish, pale, shaken and weak, he has no memory of the past summer, and now the witchy Binder - scorned by locals - is requesting he join her as her apprentice. It's in her workshop that his story starts - or, rather, restarts...

THE BINDING is original, atmospheric, romantic. The unusual split of narrative into three parts keeps the mystery and suspense ripe while adding depth to the individual threads of Emmett's and Lucian's stories as they alternately entangle and unravel. This is not a fast-paced story, but it doesn't need to be for the story it is telling and the complex issues it weaves around. There are detailed descriptions that paint the rural idyll and urban despair as stark contrasts, but without being burdensome. Beautifully written and delicately told, I would highly recommend this to you if you enjoyed Natasha Pulley's The Watchmaker of Filigree Street or Elizabeth Macneal's The Doll Factory.

I absolutely loved this book-rarely have I encountered a writer with such a wonderful command of language.The descriptions of the countryside are so perfect that you almost feel as if you're there.
The premise of the book is unusual-it's set in a past that is similar to Victorian or Edwardian times,probably in England but there are differences too.Bookbinders bind memories in books so that they are completely forgotten by the people who are 'bound'.Emmet Farmer is apprenticed to Seredith,a binder who people think is a witch.He has been through a trauma but it takes time before we find what it is.
The book is in three parts,each narrated differently,but all equally well written.At the heart of the book is a love story,again described beautifully.
I don't want to give too much away-enough to say I recommend this book highly and am grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

What a wonderfully immersive book. I fell into Bridget Collins’ world, and enjoyed going back as I read each night before bed, savouring the novel, reading slowly each day rather than bingeing. Another book I can remember reading like this was THE NIGHT CIRCUS, with which I think this shares some DNA: oblique historical setting; misunderstood late-teen/early-twenties love; magical realism. The “magic” of book binding is beautifully done, and the slow unravelling of the story moved me. I also found it incredibly visual — I’d like to visit the bindery and Castleford.

Huge thanks to the publisher for letting me read this via Netgalley — now I think I’ll buy the rather beautiful hardback!

Emmett Farmer is having a rough year. Recovering slowly from illness and of little use on the family farm, it seems he has no choice but to relieve the burden he is to them and accept that he is to be apprenticed to a bookbinder. Whilst learning the mysterious trade of binding and how memories can be extracted from us and recorded in books, a visit from young Lucian Darnay awakens something deep inside of Emmett, something he just can't quite put his finger on. On their next encounter, Emmett discovers a book with his own name on it. And with his memories intact again, Emmett must decide what to do next...

This is storytelling at its best. The simple notion that books are our captured memories - to be secreted away or sold for profit or lusted over - sets the scene perfectly for this love story. If your family doesn't approve of who you love? They can write them out of your memory and then marry you off to somebody more suited to their own tastes. But can they write them out of your heart? The answer, it seems, is no.

Emmett Farmer has been ill in a terrible fever. He can no longer work as well on the family farm so presumes this is the reason he is apprenticed to a book binder. In fact Emmett has always been destined to be a book binder. Someone who binds the most beautiful books to provide a home for memories. Those memories that people would like to forget.

I really loved the concept of this story. Books are not full of fiction but of memories. You can sell your memories to provide an entertaining book for others to read. Most usually, however, books hold people’s most difficult memories. Those things they’d like to forget & just move on with the slate wiped clean. These are not supposed to be read by anyone.

This is a book of three distinct clear parts. In the first part we meet Emmett and follow his story as he gets apprenticed to the bookbinder, Seredith. He learns how to produce the physical books but isn’t trusted yet with the actual binding of a person’s memories. When Seredith dies he goes to the city with an altogether less moral book binder and finds his own book. The second part if the description of those memories & what happened to lead him to the point of having them removed & bound. The third part is after the binding is broken.

I very much enjoyed this book. The concept is wonderful. The book itself is well written and well constructed. The plot is detailed & well written. My only bugbear was the middle section which I felt meandered for a bit long. I could see where it was going but felt the author took a long route to get there. However that is just a small niggle. The characters are well written with excellent personalities. I liked Emmett & his family & Seredith. There were also more complex characters for whom the world is not so simple – I won’t detail them as I don’t want to provide spoilers.

A lovely book which I struggled to put down most of the time. I shall certainly look out for other books by this author – I want to see what else her imagination produces.

This book has been promoting a huge amount of buzz on twitter since last summer, when the Borough Press took the decision to send out hardbound, embossed and foiled ARCs (advanced review copies) to various members of the industry. They were utterly stunning, and people began to take notice – if the Borough Press were willing to spend this much on just the ARCs, on the copies given away for free, they must be confident in the content. It must be an absolute belter of a book. People could only imagine what the final copies would look like (They’re beautiful, naturally – the image above is just the dust jacket design, the book underneath is embossed and foiled too).

Strangely, I heard/saw very little about the actual content of the book to begin with, but when I researched more about it the design choices made sense – it’s about book binding, so the form is as important as the content in some ways. Imagine a book about beautiful bindings in something other than a beautiful binding. It would be counter-productive to have a narrative which constantly describes beautiful books be presented in anything else, or the reader might find themselves feeling somewhat short-changed in the matter. It’s possibly also worth noting that whilst this is Collins’ first adult novel, it’s not her first rodeo by a long shot – she has a proven track record with YA fiction, so the outlay on these ARCs was a calculated and measured risk. If you are a debut author, I wouldn’t expect this sort of treatment for your first novel! Foiled paperback ARCs also followed, using the same cover imagery, which is still quite fancy for an ARC, but not necessarily uncommon.

The Binding has three parts, but unlike books like Crazy Rich Asians where the parts seem largely arbitrary, the parts mark out distinct changes in the narrative or the timeline. The first half is the ‘present’ narrative from Emmett Farmer, the second is the ‘past’, where we discover what memories Emmett has had bound away, and the final part is back to the ‘present’, this time from Lucian’s perspective. There’s an interesting dynamic balance as well – in the first part Lucian remembers whilst Emmett does not, in the second both of them are on a level pegging, and then in the final part Emmett remembers whilst Lucian does not. The balance of power shifts from each side of the relationship and the narrative shifts with it.

We first meet Emmett after a summer of an unknown illness, which has rendered him with gaps in his memory, blackouts and left him feeling weak and drained. He wants to get on with farming, for things to return to normal, but he worries his parents think he isn’t up to the task any more. When a letter from the local Binder arrives, saying she wants Emmett as her apprentice, his parents seem upset, but he has to go. Half-finished, cryptic sentences, explosive reactions, and an order from his father later and Emmett is packed off to a house in the middle of nowhere, him and a tiny old woman – Seredith, the binder.

It becomes clear as time progresses that this is not our world – we hear vague discussions about the Crusades, but these are within living memory, and whilst we are never given detailed information on them, we are led to believe that they are to do with books, and binders.

The readers perhaps twig before Emmett, but that might partly be because we have the benefit of the blurb to guide us. Visitors come to the house, meet with Seredith, then leave. When they arrive they’re fraught, distraught or tortured; when they leave they are glassy-eyed and blank, they seem hollow. Emmett is suspicious and unhappy – he remembers his father’s anger when he was caught with a book as a child, and he hears what the people say about binders. When Lucian Darnay appears at the door, for some reason he causes a relapse of Emmett’s illness. Lucian is bound, and Emmett expects to never see him again, as he comes to terms with his new life as a binder.

The first third of the book is about Emmett seeming out of place, untethered, and constantly shifting – from farm to bindery, from bindery to town, he seems to be unable to find his stride, and when he begins to he is moved again. Everything seems difficult for him, and he feels disconnected. Joyless, and entirely reactive. He’s almost entirely passive and nervous. You could easily believe that’s exactly how he’s always been, until his binding is revealed.

The central third of the book helps us realise that Lucian Darnay was a more significant character than was expected from his initial appearance. It follows his first meeting with Emmett, the summer before, and their burgeoning relationship, as it progresses from dislike, to cautious friendship, to something romantic and sexual. This is something which isn’t mentioned anywhere on the cover or in the promo for the book, and I feel like it’s a shame. This is a gay romance. Perhaps this is meant to be a twist, because the first third of the book gives us no indication, but the remainder of the book discusses the relationship and then the fight to reclaim it after both parties have had their memories of it bound away. I wonder if there were concerns it would alienate a broader audience if it were advertised, whether by being more open about this element it would automatically become a niche book – filed under LGBT fiction rather than General fiction. (Whilst it is a fantasy, I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to be promoted as general fiction rather than genre fiction, which might support the idea that they wanted to appeal to as broad an audience as possible.)

I have mixed feelings about this – it’s actually nice to see a book with an LGBT romance being championed with such vigour, with such faith and force behind it (the only other recent example I can think of is Girls of Paper and Fire, which is also a fantasy book but is strongly marketed as fantasy, as opposed to this which is not. It also doesn’t mention in the blurb about the LGBT romance). Strategically, I can understand that the world is not the place we wish it was and by being more open about the content the publishers may lose market because readers would simply think they wouldn’t identify with it, it would automatically become a smaller release, and unless it became a viral sensation, or gained the traction of something like Call Me By Your Name, would possibly at best be a cult hit. So I suppose this is almost like a guerilla tactic, getting people to read gay romance without them realising what they’ve got. They’re halfway through before the romance even becomes explicit – it’s all in misinterpreted looks and half-finished sentences prior to that, a fanfic reader would spot it, but perhaps not someone who isn’t expecting or used to spotting UST between male leads. Once you’ve read half the book you’re invested, you might as well finish it. It’s almost the literary equivalent of Rickrolling, you start one thing and end with another.

My reasons for focusing on this is because this romance is essentially the plot. The relationship between Lucian and Emmett is what drives the entire story. The first third of the book is just set up, positioning Emmett to be reunited with Lucian. Without it, the plot would instead perhaps focus on Emmett’s journey and development as a binder. That is mostly not in the book.

I enjoyed this piece a lot, the characters were interesting, I was invested in the plot, but I almost wish there was more. I wanted more of Seredith and to see Emmett actually learning the trade properly, I wanted to see him grow and regain the confidence he had apparently lost. I also felt the ending was a little abrupt – the main issue was resolved but it didn’t address the ones which naturally followed it, and followed it quickly, some based on their actions, some paused from before their bindings and now relevant again. What happened next? Where did they go? What did they do? What about their families?

I do not know if Bridget Collins intends to do a sequel to this. I am not sure it really needs one, or what would be a natural plot to follow it. The things I wanted to see more of were either expansion of the world, or just loose ends that I felt were left untidy. I will be interested to see how it fares in the world, and if Collins intends to spend any more time with Emmett and Lucian. I can’t say I would mind spending more time with them either, but otherwise I can easily imagine my own happy ending for them.

Briefly:

An intriguing, low-key fantasy novel with an interesting premise that is executed well. Collins takes one aspect – the bindings – and extrapolates from there how they would fit into society. It’s a light touch, but it works very well.
The characters are well-rounded, and the romance plot is something I do find myself rooting for. It’s easy to do, both Emmett and Lucian are sympathetic and appealing characters, and I enjoyed the chance to see each of them from the other’s perspective.
For me the only thing lacking was perhaps an epilogue which tied up all the loose ends that were left, but as I do not know if there is a planned sequel this could do that and expand further on the world.

Rating: 4/5 – if a sequel is in the works to answer all the last questions I have, then perhaps I could bump this up to a 5, because I really enjoyed it.

Well I thought it started fab. Absolutely loved the beginning till he left the binders then rapidly went down hill from there for me. It lost me, it bored me nd I felt so far away from how it started. And yet had me so excited for the first part

I was drawn to this book by its intriguing title, by its beautiful cover, and by the promise of a story in which books were fundamental. They were but they were books quite unlike any that I had ever read. They were books that held dark secrets and unhappy memories; drawn out from peoples minds and bound into the elegant leather-bound volumes by Bookbinders, so that memories were erased, secrets were concealed and the troublesome pasts were securely locked away.

The story was set in a place somewhere like the British Isles, a hundred or so years ago. Young Emmett Farmer had always worked on his family’s farm, but he was summoned to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder. He didn’t want to go, he didn’t want to take up an occupation his friends and neighbours viewed with fear and suspicion, but he had been told that he had a vocation and so he had no choice.

Emmett learned his craft slowly, under the watchful eye of an old woman. She told him that he was following a sacred calling, and she stored rows upon rows of books that she had bound over the years over the years in a secure vault below her workshop. But Emmett would find that there were Bookbinders who were much less scrupulous, who would trade in books and exploit their contents.

Then, just as he had begun to settle into his new life and occupation, he made an extraordinary discovery: there was a book in the vault that had has his name on it ….

The concept was intriguing, and the story that played out in three acts explored the questions and issues that spun around that concept wonderfully well.

What might be the consequences of not remembering, of cutting parts of a life away?

Was it fair that the wealthy and powerful were able to buy books and learn things about other people that they didn’t know themselves?

Was there a danger that people could be pushed towards Bookbinders for the wrong reasons, for the benefit of others not themselves?

What would happen if people who had had all of their memories of each other bound into books met again?

So much could go wrong …..

The story speaks profoundly of love and loss, and it speaks quite naturally of issues that are very relevant today – the class divide, homophobia, the abuse of power, sexism ….

I wish that I had liked it more than I did.

I couldn’t warm to the protagonists, maybe because their backgrounds, their lives and relationships, weren’t fully drawn and I only learned what was necessary to move the story that was being told forward.

That story was well told, but it was predictable in places and there were too many times when I knew what was going to happen and wished things would move forward more quickly.

I think that I might have been the wrong reader for this book; and that my expectations of what it would be were wrong and that the magic I hoped to find was of a different kind.

But I also think that a bit more editing and an opening out of the story would have made this a much better book.

The Binding’s young protagonist, Emmett, finds himself effectively cast out into a world where memories are eradicated- just as he begins his own journey of self discovery.

Bridget Collins’ background in YA fiction serves her well here; the characterisation and plotting are equally well considered and the themes universal (ranging from power imbalances to repressed sexuality.)

Yes, it can seem overwrought at times, but ‘The Binding’ will do the reputation of escapist fiction no harm at all.

This book has a dark feel to it from the outset. Emmett Farmer is suffering from a horrible illness that he cannot quite remember. His family seem fearful of him and keen to have him go off to Seredith, the witch who lives in the Marshes. Despite the fact that his parents have kept him away from books at all costs in the past, and that Seredith is a Binder.
Once he is at Seredith's she makes him well again and while he is healing she teaches him the art of book binding. Using the old fashioned tools to work the leather and paper that goes into the making of books. One day while he is at his work a boy comes to the cottage, full of fury and hate towards Emmett. His name is Lucian Dornay. Why would he hate Emmett so, probably jealousy that Emmett is Seredith's apprentice?
Something happens and Emmett ends up working in Castleford, at the Dornay household. He doesn't really want to be there, he doesn't feel that he knows what he is doing, but it is his job. After, as he is leaving he is stopped by one of the household and an incident happens that puts his work all over the study. Emmett leaves in a hurry and goes back to his place of work.
Time moves on and the story takes a tangent. I'm not sure how I feel about how the book progressed from here. It wasn't what I expected. Mostly the telling of the tale was good, it wasn't offensive, it was discretely written where there were intimate or similar scenes.
I liked the concept of binding memories into books, though wouldn't risk it myself. Those who did the binding were either considered witches or charlatans in any case. Overall, the book was a book that I enjoyed reading, notwithstanding the surprise I found in there.