Author of MISFORTUNE
AN INTRIGUING NEW NOVEL ASKS: WHAT IF OUR BAD MEMORIES COULD BE ERASED?
Imagine a world where books are more than simple stories but repositories of unhappy memories that people want to forget, and where those who create them are feared.
This brilliantly creative work of fantasy historical fiction tells the story of Emmett. He is a farmer’s son, living in a small village with his family and recovering from a bout of fever.
A letter arrives summoning him to become an apprentice to a bookbinder and he has no choice but to obey. And so Emmett goes to live in a freezing cottage in the marshes where an old woman, Seredith, starts to teach him how to hand-craft beautiful volumes.
Emmett isn’t unhappy but he is curious about the finished books and wonders why they are kept out of sight, locked away in a vault. What he doesn’t yet know is those books are all filled with memories people have chosen to forget – and there is a volume in the vault with his name on it.
Part two of The Binding takes us into Emmett’s past and we learn what it is he no longer wants to know about himself. The pace quickens and the plot deepens, and it becomes a tale of star-crossed lovers.
This is a haunting story, full of atmosphere, set at some unspecified point in the past and yet modern and relevant in its themes. Sometimes it moves slowly, and in others it is dark, but it’s never anything but intriguing and vividly told.
It plays with the idea of how memory shapes us, and how its loss leaves us vulnerable. In a way, this is a coming-of-age story, but an unusual one, richly written and filled with magic and mystery. Its plot twists as passion builds and hearts break.
This is one of those love or hate novels. Not everyone will enjoy being puzzled by it and the pace may be too gentle for many. But if you like books about books, magical realism and unique love stories, this may be your ideal next read.