Review by Katharine Blair
The Binding by Bridget Collins left me exhilarated, wrung out, and livid that the person I most wanted to share it with did not need to read Collins’ upsettingly well-crafted depictions of assault. That’s a compliment. This book has an audience that needs to see itself reflected more often. It’s about PTSD. It’s about having your mental health “managed” by outside forces. And it’s about giving readers a chance to read a queer book where parental homophobia is framed clearly as an abuse.
Collins employs a clever structuring of time in this story. My favourite moment in a novel comes at 60-70% when you’ve met everyone and you find yourself on the brink of the Big Something. The Binding tantalizingly brings you there thrice. I’m sorry, I know that’s not a helpful explanation but I’m hardly going to spoil it for you. Read it yourself and find out.
Katharine Blair (she/her) is a queer Canadian poet in California. She tweets @katharine_blair and fumbles the rest on instagram @kat_harineblair.
The Birdseed 