This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer. This meme is being nurtured by Lynn’s Book Blog and this week we are featuring covers that annoy me. I’ve selected Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller.
This edition was produced by Tin House Books in March 2015. I believe that as well as being attractive to attract readers, a successful book cover should provide an accurate clue as to what sort of story it represents. However this one – and the covers below – lamentably fail in that vital task. The girl in this story simply looks quirky, while the design and very simple, pared-back artwork have a light-hearted feel. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the prose is often beautiful, the story is a dark one and has haunted me since I read it. And the cover doesn’t give any inkling of that – other than a figure made up of dots looming over her, who could merely be her imaginary friend.
Published in March 2015 by Anansi International, this beautiful cover is eye-catching and tempting – but there isn’t so much as a hint of what a harrowing read this is. And yes – I’m really angry about it. For once, straplines that regularly are plastered across a cover would be helpful – so where are they? In an ideal world, there wouldn’t be any harm in being plunged into a book that takes us completely out of our comfort zone. But this story encompasses kidnapping, coercion, mental, physical and sexual abuse – and just because it is wrapped up in stunning prose and happens in the heart of a beautiful wilderness doesn’t lessen the impact for an unwary reader who might be triggered.
This Czech edition, published in February 2017 by Argo, has also decided to go for a simple design, without giving any of its readers any clue as to the content. There isn’t anything on that cover except the title and author’s name. And, that isn’t sufficient information to safeguard a reader, who thinks they are getting a book about a rustic idyll.
This Italian edition, produced by Mondadori in February 2016, is even more misleading. It depicts young Peggy, well wrapped up, playing in the snow. And yes… the book does describes the beauty of the woods in winter in poetical terms. But that doesn’t hide the fact that the child is having to cope with losing everyone she knows and loves, other than her father. And spend large tracts of time foraging just to survive in freezing conditions with an increasingly delusional man.
This edition, published by Penguin in February 2015, is perhaps the closest cover of my selection to hinting at the darker side of this book. The black backdrop with the white scratched drawing and title is full of impact, as well as literally depicting the tone. But even so, I looked at that ‘little house on the Prairie’ hut and wasn’t fully aware of how disturbing I would find this offering. Luckily, while I found it shocking and it is etched on my memory – it hasn’t caused me any harm. But there are readers who shouldn’t touch this one with a bargepole. And I’m frankly disgusted that there isn’t any warning whatsoever on the cover to prevent them from unknowingly picking this book up. What about you – have you ever picked up a book whose cover suggested one story, only to discover that you’re reading something completely different?
it was lovely to be able to have a good old natter.
look after the three grandchildren, while Gareth took Rebecca to see Upstart Crow in London. It was quite a big deal – obviously the older two are very used to us – but this was the first time we’d looked after little Eliza alone, giving her supper, bathing and putting her to bed. It went like clockwork and the children were all a delight, although poor Frankie was very much under the weather with a feverish cold. It was the dogs who disgraced themselves by messing in the house!
were convinced of her guilt. So when she disappears, leaving only a long letter behind, they can but suspect that her conscience finally killed her. But the letter is not what anyone expected. It tells two chilling, darkly disturbing stories. One is a story of bloody nights and magical gifts, of children lost to the woods, of husbands made from twigs and leaves and feathers and bones . . . The other is the story of a little girl who was cruelly treated and grew up crooked in the shadows . . . But which story is true? And where is Cassie now?
When a young woman comes forward claiming to be the reincarnation of Riya Kaur, a wife and mother who vanished during the bloody 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Puri is dismissive. He’s busy enough dealing with an irate matrimonial client whose daughter is complaining about her groom’s thunderous snoring. Puri’s indomitable Mummy-ji however is adamant the client is genuine. How else could she so accurately describe under hypnosis Riya Kaur’s life and final hours? Driven by a sense of duty – the original case was his late father’s – Puri manages to acquire the police file only to find that someone powerful has orchestrated a cover-up…
corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
Brainfluff 