The Book Eaters

“That tongue of yours. Lots of people commented on Devon’s tongue. She stuck it out, sometimes, inspecting it in the mirror. There was nothing special about her tongue that she could ever see.”

The “tongue” here refers to Devon’s impulsiveness and outspoken nature. It is a synecdoche, a literary device that equates a part with its whole. At this point in her life, Devon is too young to understand why her nature is considered problematic by her family, so she interprets “that tongue of yours” to mean her literal tongue. This moment also acts as an instance of foreshadowing: Her son, Cai, will be born with a deviated tongue, which marks him as something “other.”

“‘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.”

Devon lists a series of popular female-led fairy tales, although the heroines are now in dispute for their submissive natures. In each story, the princess is obedient; sometimes, as in Cinderella and Snow White, their obedience isn’t even rewarded. It soon becomes clear that feminine submissiveness has become entrenched in the book eaters’ culture and has shaped the way they view the role of women.

“The aunts discussed that a lot, in their private quarters. No more knights. No more dragons. Women marrying who they please. And other things that Devon didn’t really understand, although she could sense the cautious hope in their words.”

At this point in the story, Devon is intentionally positioned as an unreliable narrator; her innocence and youth prevent her from seeing the bigger picture. Yet, even at this stage, she dimly understands the concept of hope and the idea that things could change for the better.