The Game Boy in The Book Eaters: A Symbol of Escape, Childhood, and Life Beyond the Families
The Game Boy as a Concrete Object and Recurring Motif
The Game Boy is a handheld video game console, a small gray device with a green screen, that appears at key moments in Devon Fairweather's story. It is first introduced when Jarrow Easterbrook gives his own console to Devon as a goodbye present before he is exiled to the Gladstones (Chapter 19). Later, it becomes a constant companion for Devon's son Cai, who plays it to pass the time and to calm himself (Chapter 3, Chapter 9). After Devon is released from the knights' compound, she finds the Game Boy in her bag, and Cai immediately settles while playing it (Chapter 27). The object thus travels with the family, surviving moves, escapes, and near-death encounters, and it carries emotional weight far beyond its function as a toy.
A Gift of Friendship and Escape
The Game Boy is first given to Devon by Jarrow, who calls her “real family” rather than “the Family.” This distinction is crucial. Jarrow's gift is an act of kindness and solidarity in a world where book eater Families treat individuals as commodities. Devon, who has been married off to Matley Easterbrook and is pregnant with a child she will be forced to give up, receives the console as a token of a genuine human connection. The Game Boy is not just a piece of technology; it is a symbol of the possibility of a relationship based on mutual respect, not obligation.
In Chapter 19, Jarrow explains that he thinks of Devon as a sibling, and he gives her his own Game Boy because “siblings give each other stuff.” This moment is framed by the earlier scenes in the Easterbrook games room, where Devon first discovers video games. In Chapter 14, she is spellbound by Tomb Raider, calling it “the closest thing she’d ever seen to real magic.” The games offer her an escape from the oppressive reality of her marriage and the loss of her daughter Salem. The Game Boy, as a portable version of that escape, becomes a way for Devon to carry that freedom with her, even when she is confined to a room or a life she did not choose.
The gift also carries a deeper meaning: it is a link to Jarrow's exiled sister Victoria, whose gaming room and consoles originally belonged to her. Jarrow tells Devon that Vic liked games and that they used to play together. By giving Devon the Game Boy, Jarrow is passing on a piece of his sister's legacy, a symbol of rebellion and individuality that the Families tried to suppress. The console thus represents a lineage of resistance, a small, handheld protest against the rigid roles assigned to book eater women and men.
A Tool for Survival and Comfort
For Cai, the Game Boy is more than a toy; it is a lifeline. Cai is a mind eater, a child who must consume the minds of humans to survive. His hunger is constant, and his identity is often overwritten by the memories and mannerisms of his victims. In Chapter 3, Devon finds Cai “cradling a Game Boy in his lap,” absorbed in Mario's quest. The game provides a distraction from his hunger and a way to maintain a semblance of normal childhood behavior. When Devon tells him they must leave soon, Cai pouts at the console, and his reaction is that of a typical child, not a predator. The Game Boy allows Cai to be a child, even if only for a few minutes at a time.
The console also serves as a comfort object during times of stress. In Chapter 9, when Devon decides to flee with Hester to find Killock Ravenscar, Cai packs his Game Boy as part of his belongings. This small act shows that the Game Boy is essential to Cai's sense of security. Later, in Chapter 27, after Devon and Cai have been released into the human world, Devon finds the Game Boy in her bag, and Cai calms while playing it. The game gives him something to focus on other than his hunger and the trauma of his recent experiences. It is a familiar anchor in a world that is otherwise alien and frightening.
For Devon, the Game Boy also becomes a tool for communication and connection. In Chapter 27, she sends a package to Jarrow containing a Tomb Raider game with her phone number written in Morse code. This act uses the language of games and the shared history of their friendship to reach out for help. The Game Boy, and the games associated with it, become a code between two people who understand each other in a world that often makes no sense.
A Symbol of Childhood and Innocence
The Game Boy is a quintessential childhood object, and its presence in the story highlights the tragic contrast between the innocence it represents and the brutal reality of book eater life. Cai is a five-year-old who plays Mario and watches Red Dwarf, yet he also consumes human minds and speaks with the voices of his victims. The Game Boy is a reminder of what Cai should be—a child enjoying simple pleasures—and what he is forced to become. Devon's interactions with Cai around the console are tender and heartbreaking. She brushes his hair, hugs him, and tries to reassure him, even as she knows that his hunger will never be fully satisfied. The Game Boy is a fragile shield against the darkness of their existence.
For Devon, the Game Boy also evokes her own lost childhood. She grew up in Fairweather Manor, where modern technology was eschewed, and she was fed only fairy tales and dictionaries. When she first encounters video games, she is amazed and delighted, and she sees in Lara Croft a “princess who rejected her castle in favor of adventures and muddy boots.” The Game Boy, as a portable version of that discovery, represents the childhood she never had—a childhood of play, exploration, and choice. It is a symbol of the life she might have lived if she had not been born into the Families.
A Link to a Life Beyond the Families
The Game Boy is also a symbol of the possibility of a different life, one outside the control of the Six Families. Throughout the novel, Devon is trapped by the expectations of her Family and the marriages arranged for her. The Game Boy, given to her by Jarrow, is a tangible reminder that there are people who care about her as an individual, not as a breeding vessel. It represents the hope of escape, both physical and psychological.
When Devon and Cai flee to Edinburgh, Cai packs his Game Boy, and it accompanies them on their journey. Later, when Devon is released from the knights' compound, the Game Boy is still with her, a constant companion through her struggles to navigate the human world. It is a symbol of resilience and the enduring bonds of friendship that transcend the oppressive structures of the Families.
The Game Boy also connects Devon to Jarrow, who eventually helps her and Cai escape to Ireland. In the final chapter, Jarrow and Victoria are waiting in a car to take them away. The Game Boy, which Jarrow gave to Devon years earlier, has been a thread linking them across time and distance. It is a symbol of the real family that Devon has found, not through blood or obligation, but through kindness and shared experience.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the Game Boy function as a symbol of escape for Devon, and how does this meaning evolve over the course of the novel?
For Devon, the Game Boy initially represents an escape from the oppressive reality of her marriage to Matley and the loss of her daughter Salem. When Jarrow first introduces her to video games, she is captivated by the world of Tomb Raider, where Lara Croft is a princess who chooses adventure over a castle. The Game Boy, as a portable version of that escape, allows Devon to carry a piece of that freedom with her. Later, the Game Boy becomes a tool for survival and connection. It comforts Cai, and it serves as a means for Devon to contact Jarrow by sending a game with a hidden message. The symbol evolves from a simple distraction to a lifeline, representing the possibility of a life beyond the Families and the enduring bonds of friendship that make that life possible.
2. In what ways does the Game Boy highlight the contrast between Cai's innocence and his violent nature?
Cai is a mind eater who must consume human minds to survive, yet he is also a small child who plays video games and watches cartoons. The Game Boy is a symbol of his innocence, a reminder that he is still a child despite his monstrous needs. When Cai plays Mario, he is absorbed in a simple, harmless activity, and his reactions are those of any child—pouting when he loses, focusing intently on the screen. The Game Boy allows Cai to momentarily forget his hunger and his identity as a predator. However, the contrast is stark: the same child who plays games also speaks with the voices of his victims and has killed people. The Game Boy serves as a poignant reminder of what Cai has lost and what he could have been if not for the biological curse of his kind.
3. How does the Game Boy serve as a symbol of the “real family” that Devon finds outside the Families?
Jarrow gives Devon his Game Boy because he thinks of her as a sibling, not as a member of the Family. The gift is an act of genuine affection and solidarity, in contrast to the transactional relationships that define book eater society. The Game Boy becomes a tangible symbol of this bond. It is passed from Jarrow to Devon, and later it is used to communicate with Jarrow when Devon sends him a game with her phone number in Morse code. The console represents the idea that family can be chosen, not just inherited. It is a link to Jarrow and, by extension, to Victoria, who also rebelled against the Families. The Game Boy thus embodies the possibility of a different kind of kinship, one based on kindness and mutual respect rather than blood and obligation.
4. What role does the Game Boy play in Cai's development and in Devon's relationship with him?
The Game Boy is a constant presence in Cai's life, providing comfort and distraction. It helps him cope with his hunger and the confusion of his identity, which is often overwritten by the memories of his victims. For Devon, the Game Boy is a way to connect with her son on a human level. She watches him play, talks to him about the games, and uses the console as a bridge between them. The Game Boy allows Devon to see Cai as a child, not just as a mind eater, and it gives her a way to show him love and care. In a world where Devon is constantly struggling to keep Cai alive and to protect him from the consequences of his nature, the Game Boy is a small, precious object that affirms their bond and their shared humanity.