Hello, all!
I really, really enjoyed this book from 2019, so much so that I just have to review it right here and now, when I just finished reading it a bit ago.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers but in short summary, it’s about…
A young man who is personally chosen by the local book binder, or witch. Everyone in society is suspicious of books and book binding, even in the small village Emmett Farmer lives in. As a child, he was beaten and yelled at by his father for buying a book at the marketplace. As a teen, it’s unthinkable and awful that his parents are sending him to the book binder, who lives in the swamps off the edge of town. But recently, Emmett has taken to bouts of dizziness, sickness, which his mother says happened to him when he was returning from an errand to the nearby city. But everything doesn’t quite add up…and Emmett finds that books seem to sing to him, and he can’t resist them, again and again…
But will he survive at the witch’s house? Read and find out! Here’s a book jacket blurb with more info; DON’T read if you want to go in knowing nothing:
What I liked
I love how the author builds up her world slowly. From the very first couple of pages, my heart twinged in sympathy for Emmett, who seems to suffer from a mysterious illness. He can barely walk, the sun hurts his eyes, he gets dizzy, and this strange darkness sortof pulls at him. His family is at odds with each other, and it feels like it’s all his fault. But it also feels like lots of secrets are being kept. The start of this book really, REALLY pulled me in!
Collins has this way of making her characters so alive. They walk and breathe out of the pages, never a dull moment, never an obvious plot or personality piece built in. It all feels so fresh and alive!
As the book goes on, even more questions flew into my brain – why does everyone hate the book binder? IS she a witch? Why is she being nice to Emmett? What does book binding entail?
Then you have patients that stop by her house, and Emmett’s training as a book binder, and it just gets more and more mysterious…
And then halfway through the book, you’re thrown for a loop by something unexpected. I won’t say what, but it makes the book even more interesting!
In addition to all the questions and mystery and good characters, The Binding does not fail with pace and suspense. At the same time, it has slow moments where you get to kindof dwell with the characters and slow down. I liked that, too. Because even when it’s slower, more questions are percolating in your mind as you read.
What I didn’t like
Without spoilers I have to say, there was a LOT of flashback chapters towards the middle of the book, and it kindof threw me off. At first I was quite intrigued, but then they just. kept. going. And then you’re towards the last third of the book and it’s still in flashbacks and you’re asking, “WHat?? but how will this all be resolved by the end of the book?!”
Fortunately, the end of the book does not disappoint!
The last third of the book DOES feel much faster-paced than the rest of the book, but not in an unpleasant way. Things really ramp up.
Another thing that threw me off and took some adjustment, was a point-of-view change. It’s around the middle of the book, if not later, and at first I wanted to stay in Emmett Farmer’s point of view. But then I realized, his point of view wasn’t as needed anymore (but he is still a main and relevant character! no worries there). And I became intrigued to be in this other character’s mind.
Read it!
If you are a writer, if you liked The Book Thief, if you like alternate universe books or light fantasy, you have GOT to read this!!
Let me know what you think! Go get it, now! I bet it’s at your local library.
Until next time,
Chaitanya
Typing Madly 