diff --git a/backend/internal/bookfile/reader.go b/backend/internal/bookfile/reader.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6bc9dcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/bookfile/reader.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package bookfile
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// OpenReaderAt opens a book file and returns a ReaderAt + size.
+// Consolidates the 3 places that open a book file + stat + get ReaderAt.
+func OpenReaderAt(root, rel string) (*os.File, int64, error) {
+	abs := filepath.Join(root, filepath.FromSlash(rel))
+	f, err := os.Open(abs)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, err
+	}
+	st, err := f.Stat()
+	if err != nil {
+		f.Close()
+		return nil, 0, err
+	}
+	return f, st.Size(), nil
+}
+
+// Contains reports whether child is inside parent using EvalSymlinks semantics.
+// Falls back to Clean if EvalSymlinks fails (e.g., path doesn't exist yet).
+func Contains(parent, child string) bool {
+	p, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(parent)
+	if err != nil {
+		p = filepath.Clean(parent)
+	}
+	c, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(child)
+	if err != nil {
+		c = filepath.Clean(child)
+	}
+	return c == p || strings.HasPrefix(c, p+string(os.PathSeparator))
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/bookfile/reader_test.go b/backend/internal/bookfile/reader_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e962eab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/bookfile/reader_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package bookfile
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestContains(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	sub := filepath.Join(dir, "sub")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(sub, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !Contains(dir, sub) {
+		t.Fatal("sub should be inside dir")
+	}
+	if Contains(sub, dir) {
+		t.Fatal("dir should not be inside sub")
+	}
+	if Contains(dir, "/completely/different") {
+		t.Fatal("unrelated path should not be inside dir")
+	}
+	// Same path.
+	if !Contains(dir, dir) {
+		t.Fatal("dir should contain itself")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOpenReaderAt(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	// Create a test file.
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "test.txt")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("hello"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	f, size, err := OpenReaderAt(dir, "test.txt")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	if size != 5 {
+		t.Fatalf("size = %d, want 5", size)
+	}
+
+	// Non-existent file.
+	_, _, err = OpenReaderAt(dir, "nope.txt")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for non-existent file")
+	}
+}