“We want fan-fiction of this book!” – SYP London Book Club Reads The Binding

Posted on February 26, 2019 in London

In the Society of Young Publishers London branch’s monthly book club, our coordinators, Bea and Sonali, choose a theme each month and a list of books that fall under that theme. The club members then vote on the next month’s book. For February, the theme was: Published in 2019. All members voted and Bridget Collins’ The Binding became our February pick.

The SYP book club has been running for years but this might have been our most divisive book yet, with opinions flying left, right and centre. So, what was it that had everyone scrambling to talk about this book?

The Binding falls under the magical realism genre. Set in a world where books are not just books but something more, people are terrified. When Emmett is selected to be a book binder’s apprentice, he is thrown into the world of binding magic and all of its secrets. The book is split into three parts and it feels like two different books, with part one emphasising the fantasy elements and parts two and three showcasing the consequences of magic through a romantic storyline.

Some people loved part one but weren’t keen on the latter parts, wanting more answers about the magic: how it works, how it is taught, etc. Others found part one dull but fell in love with it in parts two and three.

“It took me a week to read part one, and then I read the rest in a day.”

Some book club participants loved the fantasy but wanted higher stakes, and to see the way the fantasy developed. It might have worked well with multiple narrators, so that the various ways the magic could be abused could have been extended. Others adored the romance and felt it added emotional depth that was lacking in part one.

Some thought the narrative might work better in chronological order (part two, part one and then part three), as it’s only when the backstory was revealed that people found themselves caring for the characters.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever cared for characters like I have in this book. I wanted to reach in and hug them.”

“I liked them, but they were pretty stereotypical.”

And, of course, some people loved the whole book, and didn’t want to change a thing!

So with all of these very different opinions, did we agree on anything?

Everyone agreed that pacing was an issue, particularly in part one. Bridget Collins writes some of the most beautiful descriptions, but the effect is that it slows the book down too much too early on.

One particular highlight was the anecdotes within the story. A scene where two characters are hiding and overhear two other characters fornicating had us in stitches.

“I was on the tube and started choking because I was laughing too much.”

The characters and the plot are somewhat archetypal. All women with tragic backstories had experienced sexual violence, as though there is no other way a woman could be damaged.

There also were many loose ends: the ending was abrupt and, for us, didn’t bring the climax to a satisfactory solution. We felt it could have done with an epilogue of sorts with more detail about where the characters would have gone from here.

The Binding has an impeccable concept that we really enjoyed. The idea underpinning the fantasy is incredible, gripping and raises so many questions, primarily: how is a person crafted by their memories? It is a poignant commentary on Capitalism and the ease with which the rich can extort and manipulate the poor. Everyone, those who loved the romance and the characters and those who didn’t, wanted more stories in this world! The possibilities the magic offers was intoxicating and we all wanted to see more of what the complex world Collins creates could offer.

Overall, more people enjoyed the book than didn’t. Most of the faults we had related to wanting more. We’d love a sequel or spin off and can’t wait for Collins’s next book!

4 stars from Book Club!

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Follow along with London Book Club each week on Twitter! Let us know what you think of each month’s read by posting and following along with the hashtag #sypLDNbookclub. March’s pick is Vox by Christina Dalcher, if you’d like to join our March Book Club click here.

By SYP London Book Club Coordinators Bea Fitzgerald and Sonali Dutta