Who would like this? First a warning this book does involve sexual abuse and manipulation. This is not a world I want to live in but a 448 page visit was pure escapism from the worries of the real world. While the central characters may have found happiness at the end of the story I think the door has been left open for a sequel one in which the morality of binding can be explored further along with the trade in memories for money, what drives people to give up part of their lives and how do they live with the blanks.Īs a book addict I found it intriguing to visit a world where books are bad, and where all books are non fiction. The romance felt real as did the need for secrecy and the conflict that drives the lovers apart. I enjoyed the way the relationship developed slowly out of initial mistrust and suspicion. Used in the right way binding could be a force for good in society but in the wrong hands there is no end to the damage that can be caused.Īt its heart this is a beautifully told love story about star crossed lovers. One of the central themes of this book is the moral ambiguity created when you can forget everything that hurts you or that you have done to hurt others.

Soon, everything he thought he understood about his life will be dramatically rewritten.īook Worm’s Thoughts: First how gorgeous is that cover? The book is split into three sections and each section beginning has another gorgeous illustration, while the images may be beautiful the words inside are much darker.

In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, rows upon rows of books are meticulously stored.īut 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. Within the pages of the books they create, secrets are concealed and the past is locked away. If there’s something you need to erase, they can assist. If there’s something you want to forget, a binder can help. Within each one they will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. Under the old woman’s watchful eye, Emmett learns to hand-craft the elegant leather-bound volumes. Bookbinding is a sacred calling, Seredith informs her new apprentice, and he is a binder born. He is to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder-a vocation that arouses fear, superstition, and prejudice among their small community but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.įor as long as he can recall, Emmett has been drawn to books, even though they are strictly forbidden. Young Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a strange letter arrives summoning him away from his family. Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret. Synopsis from Goodreads: Imagine you could erase grief. This ARC was provided by Harper Collins UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

The binding bridget collins review