BookBrowse Reviews The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

BookBrowse:

An engaging debut novel that uses fantastical elements to make big statements about the world we live in.

In an alternate version of modern-day Britain, the eponymous Book Eaters of Sunyi Dean's debut novel are an elusive race of humanoid beings who must literally consume books for sustenance. With only a handful of Book Eater families left — each living in seclusion, hidden from society — temporary arranged marriages are brokered between Houses to ensure their survival. This means mothers rarely get to stay with their children for long; instead they are ushered to the next marriage, or returned to their original families. Devon is one such mother. Already parted from her daughter, she vows to remain with her young son Cai by breaking away from the Family system and living freely. This becomes even more important when it transpires that Cai has been born with a rarer and more dangerous hunger — not for books, but for human minds.

The titular Book Eaters do not simply consume books for nourishment. Doing so also allows them to absorb the book's content entirely. Though very on the nose, the thematic concept of gaining knowledge and taking on new perspectives with every book you consume is one likely to resonate with many real-life bookworms. It also highlights the importance of reading broadly in order to grow as a person. For example, in the novel's world, girls are fed a steady diet of fairy tales, which teach them to be compliant as they await the arrival of a prince that will never come.

With many such nods to fairy tales and the characters living in gothic country manors, the setting can feel historic at times, and this is somewhat jarring alongside the narrative's more contemporary elements. This dissonance may be deliberate, however, a reference to the notion of persisting corruption and inequality brought about by patriarchal societies.

The story is told in a non-linear fashion. This allows Dean to gradually flesh out the complexity of Devon's character and moral standing as she wrestles with the guilt of finding humans for her son to feed upon. As we gain greater insight into her past, her actions and her motives, one of the book's central concerns comes into play: Is it okay for a parent to do bad things if it's for the good of their child? From certain perspectives, it would be easy to view Devon as a monster, but the more we see of the corrupt, sexist regime she has been living under, the easier it becomes to consider the system itself the real monster, and to root for Devon to escape it, no matter the cost.

Hope comes in the form of Redemption — a drug produced by one of the Book Eater families that is said to quell the hunger of Mind Eaters, allowing them to live off books instead. If Devon can acquire it, her son will have a chance at a happy life. But the gatekeeping, coercion and fanaticism that block her path to the medicine speak to the nature of religious extremism and cult mentality: Only those who comply to the Family's strict rule will be "saved" by the power of Redemption.

These heavy themes belie how readable the novel is. Always moving at a swift pace and culminating in a dramatic, exciting climax, The Book Eaters is as much an adventure story as a social commentary. Though things wrap up in a satisfying way, enough is left unanswered for Dean to return to this world in later books if she wishes. With her complex characters that are easy to feel invested in, it's likely that readers will hope she does.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in August 2022, and has been updated for the July 2023 edition. Click here to go to this issue.