NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE
Proclaimed as “truly spellbinding,” a “great fable” that “functions as transporting romance” by the Guardian, the runaway #1 international bestseller
“A rich, gothic entertainment that explores what books have trapped inside them and reminds us of the power of storytelling. Spellbinding.” — TRACY CHEVALIER
Imagine you could … reminds us of the power of storytelling. Spellbinding.” — TRACY CHEVALIER
Imagine you could erase grief.
Imagine you could remove pain.
Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret.
Forever.
Young Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a strange letter arrives summoning him away from his family. He is to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder—a vocation that arouses fear, superstition, and prejudice amongst their small community, but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.
For as long as he can recall, Emmett has been drawn to books, even though they are strictly forbidden. Bookbinding is a sacred calling, Seredith informs her new apprentice, and he is a binder born. Under the old woman’s watchful eye, Emmett learns to hand-craft the elegant leather-bound volumes. Within each one they will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, a binder can help. If there’s something you need to erase, they can assist. Within the pages of the books they create, secrets are concealed and the past is locked away. In a vault under his mentor’s workshop rows upon rows of books are meticulously stored.
But while Seredith is an artisan, there are others of their kind, avaricious and amoral tradesman who use their talents for dark ends—and just as Emmett begins to settle into his new circumstances, he makes an astonishing discovery: one of the books has his name on it. Soon, everything he thought he understood about his life will be dramatically rewritten.
An unforgettable novel of enchantment, mystery, memory, and forbidden love, The Binding is a beautiful homage to the allure and life-changing power of books—and a reminder to us all that knowledge can be its own kind of magic.
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’The Binding’ is a tragic and compelling historical fantasy story of unlikely alliances, forbidden love, and the power of memories. The writing is beautiful and the story is superbly crafted. The narration by Carl Prekopp is a joy to listen to, as he gives life and voice to the characters and enchants the listener into feeling as though they are actually there as the events unfold.
The story explores timeless themes including patriarchy and the abuse of power, particularly in terms of social class but also when it comes to the way society as a whole viewed same-sex relationships in the past. Because all of those prejudices still exist in society today, albeit to a lesser extent, the story is powerfully relevant.
The characters, particularly Emmet and Alta, are developed so fully that the audience feels as though they know them intimately, which creates an emotional investment in their lives. This depth of feeling heightens the tensions of the complications and challenges they face, and makes the twists and revelations of the story more impactful.
First off, three cheers for an LGBTQ love story from a mainstream publisher. That’s definitely worth celebrating and supporting, and frankly I want to spread the word to my LGBTQ-reading friends who might not otherwise realise. Because that aspect of the story is kept a secret, not revealed until Part Two of a three-part book – though I did suspect it was heading that way, and hoped I wasn’t being queer-baited.
But while I wanted to read it right through and be sure of a happy ending for the two main characters, I have to admit I never felt immersed in the story. I was always on the outside looking in. Damned shame! And no doubt my own fault, as I know others have experienced it differently. The writing was very competent (I mean that as a compliment) and also very consistent throughout the story, which maintained the same tone, style and energy levels throughout. It takes skill to do that, but maybe that even-handed approach is also why I never quite felt “grabbed by the feels”, as they say.
Another thing that bothered me was the setting in time and place. The early chapters could have been set in a fantasy world with a rural-English feel. But every now and then a detail is dropped in that places the setting towards the north of England, and it starts to feel like the “real” world with the fantasy addition of Binding magic. It starts to feel, more or less, like sometime in the 18th or 19th centuries, and I was tending towards late-19th C. Then, right at the end, an omnibus appears, and that narrows it down further to approximately the time period I was imagining. (I assume it’s a horse-drawn omnibus, as there’d been no mention of motor cars, but still it was a tad off-putting even though I’d guessed right.) By then such a specific and relatively modern detail is rather startling, and would certainly feel out of place to a reader who was imagining an earlier period or indeed a fantasy world – and it happens just as you’re tying to get carried away by the likelihood (or not) of a happy ending. The whole setting felt quite untethered for a long while, and I feel either should have been more firmly tethered sooner, or left untethered throughout.
So, a mixed reaction from me, but also hearty applause for this book being written and being published in such seductively gorgeous covers by a HarperCollins imprint. May there be many more such beauties!
This novel was so unusual. I really enjoyed being subsumed in its world. It was reimagined historical fiction mixed with fantasy, a dash of sci-fi, with a compelling love story, not to mention a completely new way to regard books. I’d rather not describe the plot. It’s really more fun to let it unfold. A very creative effort by this author.
Pure magic. The kind of immersive storytelling that makes you forget your own name. I wish I had written it.
Intriguing, thought-provoking and heartbreaking… what a gorgeous book.
An original concept, beautifully written. Collins’ prose is spellbinding.
More of an experience than a book, written with such grace and wisdom. Utterly brilliant.