I can really recommend this book. Not just for Americans but anyone who wants to get a quick step explanation with some biting humour to get through the depressing bits of history and present time. Timothy Snyder gives in these few pages a good rough look at history and how we can learn from it. How the system of Tyranny functions to this day in it's different forms and faces.

A beautiful twisting story of paper-white, ink-black and glue-gray.

The Binding is the Story of Emmett Farmer, who becomes the apprentice of the "old Witch" aka the Bookbinder after he became sick and almost insane due to that sickness. He struggles to learn and find himself but he ultimately does.

We, the reader, are just as lost as Emmett is at the start, since it is written in the first POV and he knows very little about the magic system of the books himself. And I liked that a lot. It pulled me in strongly to figure out what was going on together with Emmett, to learn with him. To unravel that mystery bit by bit was very enjoyable and the tension stuck through it all, sometimes more in the background, sometimes strongly in the foreground.

Quality wise I think this books shines wonderfully with a new(ish) idea of memory-magic and books and takes it seriously what it means to lose those memories and to keep them out. There is no way to get around it and let a person remember without the magic being involved. The writing style is in my eyes very well done with how Bridget Collins manages to keep me lost and confused as Emmett but still positioned in the story at the beginning to then place me and Emmett more and more firmly back to where he is meant to be in this world and who he is and was. The three parts that the book is structured in is amazingly done and makes a lot of sense. I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole process. And the introspection, especially on difficult family dynamics is wonderfully done, in my opinion. As well as how abuse can leave it's marks on you in so many ways. I wish it had been also hinted at that just because the mind forgot that the body does still remember the trauma, that was lacking in my eyes a bit. But it could be that the magic does pull so deep that also the body forgets, I am personally not sure on it because several scenes seem to hint at that the body does remember while the mind does not. But those were the positive memories. Several moral questions are touched onto, about consent and how tricky it can be in a situation to determine if it is freely given or not. About capitalism and what it does to people to sell pieces of themselves to be able to survive. Trauma of the Past, war and prejudice, misinformation and phobias, and Abuse and how it messes your brain up, as well as your trust in yourself.

The Characters are amazingly fleshed out. They are likeable and unlikeable just as real people are. Flawed, afraid and hypocritical and just amazing. Not just Emmett but the whole cast of characters. There is not much information given about everyone but you get definitely enough to get the gray picture of their past and how they most likely ended up where they are and why. And then there are the characters that you just love to hate. They are wonderfully written, they make sense and are realistic to a frightening degree. You can feel your own skin crawl in disgust and fear along side the narrator. You despise and hate them and wish for their demise. If it does come … remains to be seen.

For the Plot - It really surprised me that it was a love story. And I had not considered that as an option when I started reading this but it is a gripping tale of Twists and Turns. You go from "What is happening?" to "How could this go so wrong?", to "How is this going to end well?" in your mind while reading it, as my sister so wonderfully put it in her messages to me. And the love story that is being told is one that goes deep and shows the process of falling in love so touchingly, you learn to love the characters alongside the person that is falling. The Adventure plot is intertwined heavily with the love story and the story of the characters finding their own self. I do wish I could have seen more from Havilland and how he and Emmett would bump heads. He was a fascinating character and great antagonist, a wonderful possible foil for Emmett and as someone who is already deep in the system of the Books and the commercial side.

Who would we be without our memories? And the relationships we made in the past? How much do memories determine who we are? How important are they to us and would we sell them or buy them (how much would you pay for your own or that of another person and experience theirs)? And which ones would we like to lock away forever and is that a good idea? And what happens when another person gains access to this and we are unaware? What harm and what help can be done with memories…

(Warning: Death of Dog)