The Book Eaters

Written by Sunyi Dean

Narrated by Katie Erich

"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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250856555

Sunyi Dean

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.

Reviews for The Book Eaters

[Kate Szucs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved a new experience (not your run of the mill book) and the dynamic created between mother and son in this monsters “handsmaid tale-esc” journey.

[paul · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Truly gives a new meaning to the phrase “I devoured this book”. What a great world Dean has created. Family structure, Houses, societal class system all based on whether to eat books to survive or you eat humans

[Dayna Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I REALLY loved this book. It’s a clever spin on the usual fantasy genre with a heroine that is relatable in completely non-relatable circumstances. She will do what she has to do to protect her child — and the story that grows up around that is page turning. I admit it took me about 3 chapters to get into it, but once I was hooked, I was hooked. Loved learning the author is autistic and the narrator is neurodivergent and that the publisher is expanding to include diverse voices. Excellent book!!

[Angela Simmons · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a gripping story of love and how far you’re willing to go for those you love!

[Shelby Wells · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars

This was such a cool world to explore. I prefer fantasies that are set in the real world, and this delivered on that. I'm not usually drawn toward stories discussing motherhood, but I actually enjoyed how Devon navigated her own mixed feelings about it and how far she'd go for her son.

Definitely recommend the audiobook! Apparently it's Katie Erich's first narration, and her accent is stellar.

[Jenna Vaughn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really great read! It was dark at times but overall really well written.
I liked that it was a very different take than many of the fantasy books I read. I loved that the MC was just a regular book eater but she just wanted to love and take care of her children. I Will definitely be recommending this one!

[Trysh Law · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful and horrific. These characters will live on in my psyche