The Binding

Carl Prekopp's narration takes the listener to a world in which people's memories are voluntarily removed and bound into books. The lives of Emmett Farmer, a young man who was born with the sacred skill of bookbinding, and Lucian Darnay, the only son of a wealthy family with noble ties, are intertwined in ways neither can recall. Prekopp's performance draws the listener deeply into the story. Deliberate pacing choices reflect the characters' lives at specific moments, and various accents further bring them to life. This audiobook demonstrates Prekopp's storytelling skills, though some scattered production issues can be distracting. Overall, this is a compelling listen. A.L.S.M. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

February 25, 2019
Collins’s solid first adult novel (following several YA novels) is a haunted, Dickensian fantasia. At the story’s outset, teenage Emmett is a farmer’s son in an alternate England at an indeterminate point in the past whose mind is riddled with gaps due to an unspecified illness. He receives a letter that calls him for an apprenticeship with a bookbinder, Seredith, who’s reputed to be a witch. Emmett quickly discovers that Seredith is not your run-of-the-mill bookbinder: she draws traumatic memories out of people’s minds and hides them away in books, thereby removing the memories from their minds. The first client Emmett meets is a man named Lucian Darnay; their encounters unsettle and even enrage both of them, but neither knows why. Emmett eventually discovers there is a book with his name on it, and it holds an essential secret about him. The relationship between Emmett and Lucian plays out satisfyingly, but the novel suffers from portentous conversations and a few plot points that the characters don’t realistically react to. Emmett is a YA protagonist, too—sullen, reluctant, wrapped in victimhood. This is an enjoyable novel for readers of any age, but the story remains YA at its heart.