The first time I started paying attention to The Binding by Bridget Collins was in July 2018 - at least that's when I marked it as 'to-read' on my Goodreads. The second time was when I pre-ordered a gorgeous, purple-edged, signed copy from Waterstones in December 2018. This says a lot about the massive build-up to its publication, and the effort behind the marketing campaign from the Borough Press - kudos to the team at this beloved publisher.
When I first picked up a physical copy, I realised, strangely, that I had very little idea of what it was actually about. Clearly, I'd been distracted by this gorgeous cover - I mean, you should see the spine! This is probably the most beautiful book I own, hands down. But whether it was going to be any good, I wasn't actually sure.
If you'd rather not have any spoilers, I urge you to just read the 'Overall...' section.
How to sum up The Binding? It's a story of fantasy fiction/romance set in a Victorian-style world, where people can have their memories bound in a book - that is, memories can be taken away, written up and locked away safely. The only way to remember them again is if the book is destroyed. Emmett, our main character, has a calling to become a binder, and starts an apprenticeship at the local binder's as our story begins. One day, he discovers a book with his name on it, and his world is never quite the same again after.
What did I like about it?
A concept is often enough to get me interested in a book. This was the case with Suicide Club, but unlike with that novel, The Binding carries its creative concept throughout the book successfully, for the most part. There are questions of morality and happiness to be raised, because although the subject has to consent to have their memories bound, they can still be coerced into agreeing to the process. The idea has a lot of potential, and although I think there was a lot more to be explored, the main storyline does concern itself with the question of free will, blissful ignorance and whether finding out the truth is always the right thing to do.
Although someone a bit less naive than myself would probably have guessed it earlier, I was pleasantly surprised that the advertised romantic thread was in fact between two men. Bridget's writing is delicate, touching and writes about the relationship exactly as it should be written: noting nothing out of the ordinary.
In fact, Bridget's writing flows very well throughout, and it must be said that The Binding is a very easy and pleasing read in terms of language. There were a few golden nuggets of pure literary writing, such as when a character describes seeing their father cry as there being "something indecent about it, like nakedness or uncooked meat." As the book is divided into three parts - with the first two being told from Emmett's point of view, and the third from his lover, Lucian's - I think the first part took a while to hook me. The book really blooms in the second part, where I think both the writing and story are at their strongest; the third section is well-written but dark, troubled and perhaps a bit rushed.
What was I not massively fond of?
In terms of story, what I noticed was the huge amount of locations that the characters move across. From Emmett's home through Lucian's uncle's castle, the old bindery, the ruins, Castleford and even numerous houses within Castleford, I think this perhaps could have been cut down a little - as I found that all this movement made things a tad too event-packed.
I also felt that Bridget revelled in describing physical agony and furious anger throughout, which sometimes felt maybe a bit too passionate for a given situation. All of her characters endured dizziness, nausea and splitting headaches intermittently, but also rage - especially Emmett towards Lucian, before he comes to terms with the reality of his feelings. This rage, however, was just a little too drawn out for me; although what do I know about facing hidden feelings? My feels are usually on my sleeve. Anyway, apart from the furious stare-offs that the boys (or men? We never truly find out their age) insist on, it's nothing that can't be overlooked.
Overall...
I don't know what it's like to graduate from only writing young-adult novels to writing your first adult novel. Here's a question for your next book club: what makes a novel 'adult'? A smooth transition was Holly Bourne's How Do You Like Me Now? (which is, well, a perfect book). I'm not sure that The Binding is for adults. It feels like it's knocking on the door of adulthood, but maybe facing feelings that seem 'shameful' and adding in a touch of brutality doesn't necessarily make a book an adult one.
I really enjoyed reading The Binding, but I also don't think it's a story I'll remember for a long time. Perhaps there were just too many focus points, which diluted the original concept. Perhaps it's that I never really identified with the characters, feeling that I didn't know them well enough.
It's a beautiful book, and a good read - I'd recommend it for your Christmas break, or the pool side. That's not to diminish though; those are the times when I want something readable and enjoyable, not to mention those are pretty much my favourite times to read.
6/10
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