Four Cover Analysis:
I’m extremely guilty of judging books by their cover. It’s the main feature that intrigues me as a reader, as well as the synopsis on the back cover of novel. As such, this blog post really speaks to me - both because I love to read and because it’s applicable to my experience as a bookman.
I dove into Never Let Me Go with much enthusiasm because I disliked Jekyll and Hyde (because the cover was really lame). Something I noticed when I was ordering my copy of NLMG was that there were a TON of covers for this book - it seems like each publisher or producer wants to add their own twist. However I did notice commonalities between each one, and the general mood seemed to be synonymous.
Each given cover feels eerie and there’s the sense that something is just wrong. This is no doubt a connection to the novel’s status as a dystopia; it both enhances the text and draws the attention of potential readers. Similarly, all the copies also create a sense of isolation within the onlooker (the secluded girl, the indistinct human, empty boat, and the grey/black background). Each of the aforementioned examples cause the observer to feel either physically or emotionally “small”, which produces the feelings of eeriness and abandonment. Both examples contribute to the novel because the protagonists’ main purpose is to provide organs for their clones, something that is both terrible and odd to our society - a characteristic that is noticeable within the covers. As a result, these covers are successful because they attract the attention of spectators and simultaneously give insight to the type of novel it may be.
Individualized Analysis:
The left cover really appeals to me as a reader. It reminds me of the scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Harry and Dumbledore are searching for an entrance into the cave by the sea and they eventually find a small boat in the sand. The setting is extremely similar; the boat is on the anchored at shore, surrounded by a huge lake and no signs of civilisation. The huge lake makes the potential reader feel physically small as a result of the enormity of the natural structure. Simultaneously, the remoteness helps create the feeling of isolation because there is no sign of other human life. The color scheme implies either a cloudy day (perhaps indication of a storm) or twilight. Both qualities are historically associated with negativity, instantly signaling the the reader that this story is not for the “faint-hearted” (another HP reference). The text itself displays the author’s name in large, all capitalized font, with the title appearing just below it. The only other words on the cover are a quotation from Time and an award nomination. The minimalistic approach helps enhance the foreground and background’s previously stated purpose. Having read the novel, I can identify this cover as Kathy H’s perspective. She’s grounded ashore, alone, watching the twilight/storm envelop the lake (representative of her voyeuristic mindset). This is a result of her friendship with Ruth and lack of significant other in her life - she always seems to be someone’s second choice, so she just prefers to be alone.
Meanwhile, the right cover takes a different approach. There is no text, with the exception of the author’s name in small, crooked print at the bottom of the page and the seemingly hanging-in-midair title. The font seems to inform the reader that the book is filled with horror stories and mystery. This slightly hyperbolizes the plot points, but from an outsider’s perspective, the events that take place in NLMG are atrocious and wrong. The background is also extremely vague, both in picture quality (insert “was this filmed with a potato joke here”) and in color scheme. This corresponds with Kathy H’s attitude throughout the whole novel. She’s extremely non-committal and passive, enhanced by Ruth’s leadership tendencies, to protect herself from any possible blame for an unknown tragic event. Similarly, the color scheme is a conglomeration of gray and black. These dark colors incite fear of the unknown and eeriness within the reader, which connects to the book, as it is classified as a dystopia. Looking from a protagonist's perspective, this cover represents Tommy’s life at Hailsham. The color scheme is symbolical of his differences, as he is not creative and is therefore different from the majority of Hailsham’s population. Simultaneously, the vague background connects with Tommy because the reader doesn’t learn much about Tommy’s past - it’s kept intentionally unclear to invite questions.
In summary, all of the covers typically are vague and evoke feelings of isolation and mystery. This is Ishiguro’s signature feature and it reflects in the covers; vagueness and ambiguity help create foreshadowing within the text, a theme the reader will certainly recognize from judging the book by its cover.
