Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

An epic and unforgettable love story begins in Binding 13, the first in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.

He wants to save her. She wants to hide.

She's damaged. He's determined.

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Fate brought them together. Love binds them.

Johnny Kavanagh is the definition of popular. He is an all-star rugby player with loads of friends, which means he should be enjoying the many perks of his life. But what people don't know is that he has been dealing with a painful injury that could halt the magnificent trajectory of his career. This means he has no time for distractions or mistakes. Especially not a girlfriend.

Shannon Lynch has been bullied all her life. She is shy and would rather hide herself away to make it through school. But when she arrives at Tommen College for a fresh start, she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day in a not-so-romantic way. What follows is a complicated friendship that turns into undeniable chemistry. It seems that Shannon won't be able to hold onto the anonymous status she once hoped for. But maybe that's alright?

Johnny won't give up on Shannon. No matter what it might cost them both.

Why I Picked It Up

I'd seen the Boys of Tommen series around before frequently (a BookTok favorite, so appears more in a specific segment of reader spaces) and had forgotten there was an adaptation coming out until my friend Anna texted me asking for a casting opinion; she'd gotten my love for Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys mixed up with this one.

I'd tried it once before and wasn't in the mood for the introduction; it's very culturally specific, with slang and references exclusive to this Irish rugby culture, and it's 600 pages.

But that's the exact type of book I thrive upon reading when at our time-share cottage in Canada: always been on my list, but slightly too long for me to prioritize in daily life. (Ex: I'll usually pick one of those types of series—like Outlander or Game of Thrones—to try out per summer.)

About the Book

This book is sort of exactly what the "new adult" genre designation was originally labeled to address: books with teen or aging-up characters with heavier doses of adult—or darker—content. There's not a great place to shelve or market these kinds of titles to the schools and libraries that tend to buy YA, and the tonal mismatches can be jarring. These books have usually taken off within self-publishing, accumulating audiences that then lead to a flywheel effect allowing them to enter the traditional sphere. For those of y'all not up-to-date with publishing news, that's happened more frequently over the last few years. The Deal by Elle Kennedy is another perfect example of this.

Characters & Plot

The book starts out aggressive. Shannon, the main character, is finally starting at a new school after being bullied and nearly killed at her last. She's clearly been through the ringer. She's small, frail, weak, etc.

(There's a frustration around characterization in this way, especially in romance, that could go either way for Binding 13. On one hand, the more you learn about Shannon, the more you figure out she's just constantly going through hell so already is malnourished, passive, freeze response, etc. On the other hand, the book is very much like "Shannon has been bullied by everyone she's ever met, and literally everyone is trying to kill her" which feels a little odd. She also cannot go a single page without mentioning how tiny and weak she is, which is a trope I see joked about but almost never read in real life.)

Johnny, meanwhile, is a rugby star. He's captain of the school team, already slotted to go pro, and has trained his entire life for that stage. He's also willing to be violent, so is protective as needed. He's secretly battling a groin injury that's made it unbearably painful for him to play, walk, and exist, but has to keep it hidden because he's terrified of not reaching the higher level or being told he has to stop.

The book kicks off when Johnny accidentally injures Shannon as she crosses the rugby pitch. Basically, he notices how intensely small, young, and fragile she is, and then bans the rest of the team from trying any funny business. When he secures her file, he discovers the extent to which she's had a rough go i.e. being bullied to the extent she's had to switch schools.

And then at home: Shannon's dad is abusive, but their mom keeps having children she won't protect. Her dad clearly despises Shannon, and will frequently go off on her, so as Johnny and Shannon become gradually closer, the existence of any relationship between them becomes a trigger point that puts her in danger.

So--the book is an interesting one, tonally. It gets very dark, and there's a mismatch between the high school setting and how aggressively sexual and adult it can be. There are readers who may react similarly to the plotlines of say, Euphoria, when throwaway lines can be rather shocking—like mentioning a seventeen-year-old rugby boy banging the 40-something school secretary. They're all drinking whiskey and most conversations roll back to sex which again, could just be high school boys treated like gods for their sport. (There's a little touch of Fredrik Backman's Beartown commentary in here too.)

Voice & Tone

The overall sensation of picking up Binding 13 reminds me of Jessa Hastings's Magnolia Parks i.e. there's a definitive voice that's polarizing. You'll either take to it or no.

First, the book is highly Irish, steeped in this sort of prep school culture that's specific. I never watched Derry Girls (TV), but i'd imagine the jargon may be similar. My brother-in-law is Irish and played rugby in college, so whenever I'm in South Carolina and borrow their Jeep, I'm greeted by Irish drinking songs in the CD player. Not unfamiliar, but I did learn there are even more sports I'd never heard of baked into this book—like hurling and Gaelic football.

The Trauma & the Angst

Binding 13 is about domestic violence at its core. The trauma elements of Binding 13 are really the most interesting because the book does get tough and harsh and threatening. Props to Chloe Walsh for building such a pervasive tension surrounding Shannon's household that I flinched whenever she mentioned going home—especially after any perceived transgression, like missing the bus or asking to go to a friend's house after school. As the only girl in a house of all brothers, she was saddled with the bulk of the housework, and the imbalance was so frustrating to read. Walsh really made the home elements terrifying, and anyone who's navigated childhood terror will understand the eggshells.

But then again, forgive my phrasing, the reason it's an odd book is really just that Binding 13 is really just a constant string of Shannon getting the shit beat out of her. First: by bullies. Then: by her dad. She's constantly whaled on, so there's mentions of her bruising, choking, convinced that her existence is a joke.

Honestly, the way she shrank whenever she took up space etc. was probably very realistic, but there were also such repeated mentions of her being frail and childlike that the Johnny romance almost felt strange when it dialed up—vaguely pedophilic, but even that's too strong a descriptor. It did get old to have Shannon just constantly curling up in a little ball, but of course—perhaps realistic? It's just extreme.

An important note here is also that Johnny's personal arc related to the pressures on him to be the best at playing rugby while grappling with a possibly career-ending injury that impacted his sex life. So a lot of the imagery on his end is painful, related to his inability to use his penis due to groin injury. So the contrast here, and the lingering imagery related to sexuality, could be a lot.

Binding 13 is constantly firing on all cylinders. I would absolutely use it as an example of trauma porn as it's like a car crash you can't look away from, but at the same time, I do think it's very pointedly specific, which I like, and I go back and forth on whether it's gratutious or necessary for the statements the book's trying to make. Part of me just wonders whether they really need to be that graphic about Jonah or talking about Shannon being whaled on as often as it does; I'm relatively certain every other paragraph talks about Shannon looking like a child, being a victim of everyone she ever encounters, and not being able to fit into clothes. I do think the length—a product of the book's immense self-publishing success—could have been chopped down and some of the repetition would be less intense that way. It is too long.

My last point on Binding 13 is just that I think the main point of tension—who all releases Shannon's being abused at home, and her dad's escalating?—could occasionally be convenient. Shannon herself will mention that she'd been choked at home worse that night then others, or that she has a black eye, but then not a single person will mention it at school. The abuse is willfully invisible in a weird way that's yanked around for the plot.

And then Johnny knows that someone is attacking Shannon, but then doesn't at all connect the dots that he says she seems terrified whenever she has to go home and then is mysteriously getting bruises. Most reasonable people—beyond the bullying at school—would look for an at-home source first, even with a happy family. So you have to gloss over some of the convenience factor.

Overall Thoughts

Regardless, Binding 13 is a book with a lot to pick at. I get why the chemistry between Shannon and Johnny is compelling, and why the rugby prep school atmosphere feels so distinctive and engrained.

Considering the popularity of books like A Little Life or even Alchemised, the relentless flow of abuse tapping into readers' pathos and angst makes total sense, and people can decide for themselves whether it's an accurate, stylized effect of how deep PTSD and domestic violence can impact you, or whether the "small, so small and bruised" message—in contrast to Johnny's hulking size and attraction despite constantly noting she looks and seems like a child—is in any way gross. The author emphasizes how much she wants to shine a spotlight on everyday issues of domestic violence and how trauma manifests, and I believe her intention. Reader reactions are and will be polarized.

It's certainly a singular book that defines a specific trope or type of popularity: not quite dark romance, but this all-consuming protector type. Like what the Off Campus books catalyzed for the hockey romance books trend. And it is addictive, once you're hooked.

Thoughts on the Sequel, Keeping 13

I did read the next book, but stopped there. They're good, but long, and I didn't feel the urgent need to continue the series. But I do need to talk about the second book, Keeping 13, which (I think?) wraps up Shannon and Johnny's story.

I found the events of the second book profoundly disturbing. Undoubtedly memorable, but the specifics burrowed into me and made it hard for me to sleep after reading. The logic of the books doesn't always follow, but they are compelling, and some of the imagery will linger into my head for a while even wishing that it wouldn't.

I have to give major props to Chloe Walsh for this because she wrote the major, horrifying events of Keeping 13 to be engrossing and searing. The climax is awful and vivid and really does stay with me, which is a quality I always have to admire in any book. These scenes will pop into my head for a long time, and I was emotionally wrapped up in them in an affecting way.

Forgive the formatting of my sample—had to screenshot the first page from Kindle.