Imagine a world where you could get rid of your most horrible memories and darkest secrets by simply erasing them from your mind and binding them into a book.

I actually read The Binding by Bridget Collins several years ago, but whenever I catch a glimpse of it on my bookcase, I’m instantly reminded of just how brilliant it was.

Set in an atmospheric, alternate 19th-century world, it’s a historical fantasy where traumatic memories can be magically removed and bound into physical books. We follow Emmett Farmer, a farmer’s son, who is sent away to apprentice under an old binder named Seredith. He slowly begins to learn the trade, but his quiet life is turned completely upside down when he discovers a hidden book that bears his own name.

The premise itself is absolutely fascinating. If we had the actual ability to purge our own memories, what would you choose to get rid of? For me, the first things that come to mind are erasing deeply embarrassing, cringey moments from my teenage years, or maybe forgetting massive book/TV spoilers. But of course, that wouldn’t make for a very dramatic plot line!

Instead, the story takes a much darker turn. In this world, people in desperate debt trade away their precious memories for cash, and criminals use binding to erase their secrets and escape justice. Bridget Collins does a fantastic job of showing the sinister black-market underbelly of this magic system, especially since the only way to ever get your memories back is to track down and burn the physical book.

The structure of the story is also what makes the plot so brilliant. Just when you think you understand Emmett’s world, the book shifts timelines and perspectives, forcing you to re-examine everything you thought you knew. It turns the entire narrative into a giant puzzle where the characters themselves don’t even have all the pieces.

At its core, the book tackles heavy themes of consent and forbidden love, a combination that is absolutely devastating to read. Imagine deeply loving someone, only for society to deem it unacceptable, resulting in your memories being forcibly stripped away, losing a core part of yourself in the process.

This story has stuck with me since I first picked it up all those years ago, and it still resonates with me today. It’s a slow burn, so trust me when I say to stay with it. It’s dark, it’s gripping, and the twists are beautifully executed.

If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend picking it up!