Sunyi Dean Crafts Dark, Unforgettable Worlds with The Book Eaters and Beyond

PHOTO: Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters, draws inspiration from real-world struggles, motherhood, and her multicultural upbringing.

A Gripping Voice in Speculative Fiction Explores Motherhood, Identity, and Monsters That Lurk in Plain Sight

Sunyi Dean’s bestselling debut The Book Eaters delivers a bold, genre-defying story that blends gothic atmosphere, maternal grit, and a wholly original take on vampire mythology.

Sunyi Dean delivers the kind of storytelling that lingers long after the final page—gritty, haunting, and fiercely original. Her debut novel The Book Eaters not only became a #2 Sunday Times Bestseller, but also carved out a unique space in speculative fiction with its brilliantly unsettling premise: a secretive society where people consume books to inherit knowledge. With unnerving clarity and lyrical prose, Dean turns this concept into a dark, emotionally resonant thriller that explores identity, control, and the ferocity of a mother’s love.

At Mosaic Digest magazine, we’re proud to feature this unforgettable author whose life across continents—Texas, Hong Kong, and now Yorkshire—has infused her writing with a global sensibility and emotional depth. In our interview, Dean opens up about the real-life grit behind her stories, her love of difficult characters and dual timelines, and how she brings a raw honesty to every page she writes.

Dean’s storytelling is fierce, haunting, and emotionally layered—blending speculative fiction with chilling beauty and brutal honesty.

Your debut novel, The Book Eaters, presents a unique concept where characters consume books to absorb their contents. What inspired this idea, and how did it evolve from its initial conception to the final narrative?

Inspiration is a tricky topic for authors, I think. My jujitsu instructor asked me once how I get the inspiration to write. In reply, I asked him how often he’d go to work if he only showed up on the days he felt ‘inspired’. He burst out laughing and said “Fair enough!” 

All that to say, writing is always something I approach with enormous intent and a lot of forethought. There’s almost never one single thing which inspires a book, since books are big complex story machines with a lot of moving parts. I knew I wanted to write something which paid tribute to the parts of Britain I loved, from its gritty urban environments to its beautiful northern countrysides; I knew that I wanted to write about vampires, but not as anyone had seen them before; and I knew that I wanted a thriller-type feel, which left the reader feeling exhausted and heartbroken. All those things gradually merged together into the final novel that appeared. 

“Writing is always something I approach with enormous intent and a lot of forethought.” – Sunyi Dean

Motherhood is a central theme in The Book Eaters, portrayed through the character of Devon. How did your personal experiences influence the depiction of motherhood, and what message did you aim to convey through this lens?

Parenting is often lonely and bleak, especially for people who are living on the breadline. I spent a lot of time at Sure Start Centres with other ‘deprived’ mothers, talking about our problems, our burnout, our isolation. The impossible-seeming task of doing well by our children, when everything was against us. The bizarre double-pronged attack of society saying that motherhood was a worthless occupation, while also holding women in judgement for not having children. Parenting is inherently full of love, but it can also be a gruelling and heartbreaking experience, usually for external reasons, and that duality is what I hoped to capture with Devon and her children.

You’ve mentioned that book reviewers inspired you to start writing, aiming to create work that sparks deep discussions. How has this motivation shaped your approach to storytelling, and do you feel you’ve achieved that goal with your debut?

When my debut came out, I wrote to the book reviewer whose work I used to follow, and sent him a copy. He reviewed it in his usual, thoughtful way, and I appreciated it greatly. I felt like I’d come full circle. My book often gets mixed or divided opinions, and I like that. I like having made art which gets people arguing, and is a bit controversial. 

Balancing writing with personal responsibilities can be challenging. Could you share how you managed your writing process amidst the demands of daily life, and what strategies helped you stay committed to your craft?

If there is a balance, I haven’t found it. I do what I can, when I can, around other commitments. I think for most writers, that’s all you can do! 

Your background spans Texas, Hong Kong, and now Yorkshire. How have these diverse cultural experiences influenced the settings and themes in your writing, particularly in The Book Eaters?

Living in lots of countries means you see things from a slightly outside perspective. I’m privileged to have lived in different countries and feel able to take influence from those locations. I don’t think this will show in Book Eaters particularly, but my next two novels are also drawing from their locations (Hong Kong and Texas, specifically.) From a career perspective, I hope this means I’ll be able to continue offering diverse and varied types of story to my readers. 

Looking ahead, you’re working on new projects, including a historical fantasy set in post-war 1960s Hong Kong. What can readers expect from your upcoming works, and how do they differ from your debut in terms of themes and storytelling?

I like to write standalones, with complex storylines and either multiple points of view, or multiple timelines. The next novel has both–following two women in two different eras of Hong Kong history, spanning a period of time from 1942 to 1975. Difficult families, spooky creatures with a twist, and unexpected rug-pulls will still feature, even though structurally and setting-wise, the next novel will feel very different.