From Consumption to Memory: An Exclusive Guest Post from Sunyi Dean, Author of The Book Eaters, Our July Speculative Fiction Pick 

---

The closest bookshelf housed multiple copies of various Arthurian legends; those were usually given to her brothers. Full of stories that girls didn’t need to know. Below that was a row of fairytales. “Beauty and the Beast,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Snow White.” Various others. All stories of girls who sought and found love, or else who fled their homes and found death.  

That was the shelf her uncle had specified.  

Devon had other ideas.  

She dug out the little wooden stool her uncle kept under the bed and dragged it over. She could, if she stood on her toes, just reach the tallest shelf, which was much more exciting.  

From this vantage point she couldn’t see what books were there, but it didn’t matter. All of those books were forbidden, and thus desirable. 

---

In The Book Eaters, Devon’s people have a unique ability to physically consume books. Any book they consume, they remember perfectly forever, and eating enough of certain types can even influence an eater’s personality and development.   

It’s a fun ability, but also open to exploitation. The elders and patriarchs of Devon’s people are determined to exert control over the books their children have access to, in order to make sure the next generation grows up with ‘correct’ thinking. This doesn’t jive with Devon, who spends her childhood reading books forbidden to her — and likewise, spends her adult life in perpetual revolt against her own society.  

For those of us in the real world, where book bans and censorship remain a hot topic, Devon’s dilemmas are perhaps a little close to home these days. Growing up, my Christian high school in Hong Kong had a slew of “unacceptable” books which weren’t allowed. Some were ludicrous to the point of hilarity (eg, banning the Animorphs series for its ‘pro-evolution’ content) while other bans were more stark. 

Like Devon, reading outside those imposed boundaries was a good choice for me, and a life-changing one. We cannot learn or grow in an echo chamber. And cannot develop empathy unless we connect with others different from ourselves. Books break down echo chambers and barriers alike; within their pages, we are immersed in others’ dreams.  

With that in mind, if I could be a book eater like Devon, able to commit anything consumed to permanent memory, I would opt for books that help me to see the universe from new and fascinating perspectives. Listed below, I’ve recommended some books — mostly new reads this past year, with one “classic” read included — that have done exactly that, and which I hope can find a thriving readership, if they haven’t already.