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The Book Eaters

by Sunyi Dean

Narrator Katie Erich

This audiobook uses AI narration.

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Length 13 hours 27 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“How far will a mother go to protect a son that is hungering for more than books? Sunyi Dean’s work of fantasy is frighteningly real. Think Hannibal Lecter: sit back, grab ‘a nice dry Chianti,’ and get ready to devour this debut masterpiece.”
— Bill Reilly • The River's End Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“A deliciously different approach to the vampire story about the power of love and motherhood and the lengths one young mother goes to when she realizes her diet of fairytales is not enough and discovers her insular existence in a patriarchal world is filled with unexpected monsters. It asks what makes for a monster? What does good mean? Who is family? An atmospheric and dark urban fantasy that’s perfect for literary lovers with its creative descriptions of what books taste like. Excellent audiobook.”
— Cori • Bright Side Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Unexpectedly great read. This book tackles single parenthood, sexism, and morality in a unique and satisfying way.”
— Kristine • Buttonwood Books and Toys

Bookseller recommendation

“This is a fantasy novel that I think readers of all genres will enjoy. It is rare that a book with this compelling of a premise pulls it off so well - but The Book Eaters did just that, and more! I loved listening to this dark fairy tale. Sunyi Dean filled the book with wonderfully complex characters and impeccable world building. The neurodiverse themes and characters are highlighted by a fascinating discussion at the end of the audiobook between Sunyi Dean and the narrator, Katie Erich (who does such a great job narrating). Now I wish every audiobook ended with a discussion like that! You will not be disappointed by The Book Eaters.”
— Nadine • Birchbark Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The Book Eaters is my favorite kind of dark fantasy and possibly my favorite audiobook of 2022. It has so many layers to peel into; all dark and terrifyingly beautiful. Getting glimpses into Devon's childhood throughout the novel added so much agency to her character as an adult as she fights tooth and nail to have the chance to write her own narrative.”
— Allie • Third Street Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The Book Eaters is an extraordinary debut by Sunyi Dean. This horror story is very much in the genre of modern-day fairy tales as we witness what a mother will do to keep her son alive in a world where there are those who eat books and those who eat minds. Set in the modern-day United Kingdom, there are physical and mental battles as well as an exploration of chosen family, queer identity, and misogyny. The audio version (we suggest from Libro.fm!) includes an intimate and exclusive conversation between the author and narrator about the book and neurodivergency among other topics.”
— Rachel • Avid Bookshop

Summary
About the author

"Katie Erich’s riveting and emotionally rich realization of Dean’s strange and vivid world makes this an entrancing listen from start to finish; we hope to hear much more from author and narrator alike." - The Seattle Times

"Katie Erich narrates Devon with the voice of a true storyteller, providing a mesmerizing performance that communicates the devastating harshness and rich emotionality of Devon’s journey....Beautiful and intense, it is a must-listen."- Library Journal

This program includes a bonus conversation between the author and narrator about the novel, family, and neurodivergency.

Sunyi Dean's The Book Eaters is “a darkly sweet pastry of a book about family, betrayal, and the lengths we go to for the ones we love. A delicious modern fairy tale.”— Christopher Buehlman, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author

"Katie Erich's Northern English accent transports listeners to the windswept Yorkshire moors in this atmospheric fantasy about a woman on the run."- AudioFile on The Book Eaters

Truth is found between the stories we're fed and the stories we hunger for.

Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries.

Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairy tales and cautionary stories.

But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

Fiction Fantasy Horror

Sunyi Dean is an autistic author of fantasy fiction. The Book Eaters is her debut novel. Originally born in the States and raised in Hong Kong, she now lives in Yorkshire with her children. When not reading, running, falling over in yoga, or rolling d20s, she sometimes escapes the city to wildswim in lonely dales.