Peopled by fully-fledged characters that live and breathe from the book’s pages, it is a novel to fall in love with. Then one day he discovers a book with his own name on it and is forced to choose between forgetting and the dreadful, tantalising promise of remembrance.Ĭonjuring a magic all of its own, The Binding is a richly imagined story of boundary-defying desire and prejudice wrapped in layers of enchantment, enigma and stunningly evoked detail. And to Emmett, they whisper in the darkness. In the house set deep in the marshes, Emmett learns the skills to make exquisitely beautiful volumes, every one as unique as the last and each holding a dark and peculiar secret: a person’s most unconscionable memories. It is an invitation he is both drawn to and desperate to run from.įor a Bookbinder’s trade is like no other. Set against a landscape that is part Victorian gothic, part medieval outlier and yet strikingly modern, The Binding slowly unravels a mystery surrounding Emmett Farmer, a farm labourer whose life is irrevocably altered when he receives a cryptic summons, pressing him into service as an apprentice to a Bookbinder. Heart-racingly exciting, chilling and with a startlingly original premise, it is a supernaturally tinged tale of forbidden love, buried secrets and unspeakable betrayal that is simply unforgettable. One of 2019’s standout debuts, The Binding became an instant favourite with our booksellers from the moment it landed in their hands in January.

‘ The Binding is truly a phenomenal, magical, all-consuming novel of the kind that only comes around once in a blue moon.’ – Ella at Lewes ‘Every once in a while a truly special book comes out, one that you know you will never forget. ‘This is a fantasy novel with a difference, achingly romantic a haunting story of forbidden love, longing, lust, magic and betrayal.’ – Emine at Bromley Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2019 Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month for January 2020 Shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Book of the Year 2020

The binding book bridget collins