Beautiful literature with a captivating story

Although this book was not what I expected, it was beautiful! I enjoyed every page, it kept me hooked from start to finish. Bridget Collins set the scene so well, it was incredibly descriptive, I felt I was living among the characters! The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was because I would of liked to have heard more about the art of binding!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers. The Binding is a really thought-provoking read. Admittedly this is not of my usual genre, I found it quite fascinating to compare our worldly acceptance of what 'book-binding' means and understanding of what a 'novel' is, with this fantasy world juxtaposition where 'novels' are fakes and 'books' are people's secret and hurtful memories drawn from them by the mystical powers of the Binders to be locked away securely forever; - or so they think. Emmett Farmer had been ill for some time when his parents accept an offer for him to become apprenticed to a Binder, Seredith. He reluctantly leaves his parent's farm for Seredith's large and isolated house on the marshes where she puts him to work learning the skills of leatherwork and tooling to produced book covers. However, he soon questions the fact that there were no actual 'books' to bind, and becomes curious about two locked doors at the end of the workshop. Lucien Darney arrives one day and is taken into one of these rooms by the Binder; Emmett feels there is something between himself and Lucien but cannot understand exactly what. The magic here is in Bridget Collins' writing, Two young men have their names on two separate books and the author leads us through memories, misfortune, happiness and hopelessness with a beautifully written story. My only criticism would be that I felt the frenetic energy conveying clear desperation towards the conclusion felt a little out of 'pace' with the preceding story and its rather 'timid' ending.

The central themes of forbidden love are very well executed in the brilliant novel. I was kind of expecting a bit more "magic", but with the nature of the novel it was easy to see why that was forgotten. - No more spoilers!

First and foremost I think I should start this review by saying that this is physically one of the most truly beautiful books that I have ever purchased. I would argue it’s worth the price even if you never read it, which you most definitely should! I read the first chapter or two of this book and then put it down and didn’t pick it up for months. When I eventually began reading it again, I had the opposite problem and finished it in all of two days. The book is split into 3 parts and is told in two parts from Emmet’s perspective and in the last part from Lucian’s. I really enjoyed reading from both perspectives. The story is so original that it is safe to say that I have read nothing quite like it before and it’s a very interesting concept, one that really makes you think. If there was a way to forget the bad things, would you do it? and could it really be that easy? If you read this book, you’ll soon realise that the answer is no. The story of Emmet and Lucian is as beautiful as it is devastating. When we first meet Lucian, it’s impossible to understand how truly heartbreaking the scene is until we’ve read the second part of the book. ‘Emmet’, he bursts out, stumbling on the syllables ‘please -look at me, just for a second, please. I don’t understand.’ This line haunts me now, knowing what I know, knowing what he does next. The second part of the book is an escape from the sadness of the other two parts. We get to see blossoming love, even if the characters themselves can’t see it and we explore the relationship between siblings. The constant bickering between Lucian and Emmet was one of my favourite parts of the book and the scene in the lodge was just hilarious (Would you like a hand? Go to hell, Darnay.’) And Seredith. Oh did Seredith deserve better. I didn’t realise how much I would grow to love her. Ever with everyone so against her, she was willing to die for what she believed in and ultimately I guess she kind of did. We also shouldn’t overlook Alta’s capacity to forgive, after being betrayed by two people who she loved. We could all learn a thing or five from these women. Nell, what a tragic life she lived, she couldn’t be saved (despite Lucian’s best efforts) and it broke my heart. I hate Mr Darnay (senior) with every fibre of my being, what a toxic excuse for a human being. Also, I kind of wish Emmet (or Seredith) had punched De Havilland, though he is by no means the worst character in the book, that honour reserved for Mr Darnay (senior). Lucian is just, you can’t help being charmed by him just as Emmet and poor Alta were. He’s funny, he’s kind, he’s headstrong. So determined to be better than his father but so easily manipulated by his own self doubt. He is a much better man than he allows himself to believe and proof that we are not the sum of our parents. The ending for me could not have been more perfect. In the last few pages you’re screaming at Lucian to burn the book, desperate for him to remember. Watching them slip into their old teasing and appreciating the stillness of the last moment between them, you feel hope in a book which has more often than not left you feeling hopeless in the face of so much sadness. Just read the book.