Apparently we're Judging Books by Their Covers

Cover A (to the left) | Cover B (to the right)

Cover C (to the left) | Cover D (to the right)

Never Let Me Go, a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro, tells a dystopian tale of what it's like to be a clone in society where this demographic is solely used for the farming of organs. Ishiguro's narrative is one of extreme tragedy, yet, the story still clings onto its own sort of demented elegance. Above, you can see four different book covers for this story. Each highlights different aspects of Never Let Me Go. In this blog I will compare these books covers and see which, if any, are truly adequate preludes of the story that lies within them.

Cover A: In this cover, you can see what appears to be a young girl sitting peacefully in a grove. She is looking down at the ground, seeming to be entranced by the raw beauty that the nature around her holds. The title "Never Let Me Go" is not the focus of this cover, but rather this girl and her relationship with the environment that she is in. The girl is wearing very conservative clothing, both in color and design; as a result, she contrasts starkly with her surroundings. The cover almost seems to be showing a girl that is escaping her day to day struggles and is finding solace in nature. When compared to the other covers, Cover A is much more mystic and bright. Its tone, while mysterious, is straightforward and positive.

Cover B: This cover appears to be a photograph. You can see a small, empty rowboat tethered to a free standing wooden pole. The lake that this boat floats in is shrouded in mist and hazed over with a yellow tint. This image and its color work together to create a tone of dejection and isolation. Compared to Cover A, Cover B makes the title itself larger, focusing less on the image beneath. The biggest contrast between the two covers though, is that in Cover A, Never Let Me Go seems to be a lovely, upbeat story, while in Cover B, it appears to be more tragic.

Cover C: This cover is easily the most grotesque of the four. There appears to be a rugged drawing of a person's vital organs on top of a gray and desolate backdrop. The drawing is then framed in barbed wire, only adding to the brutal tone of the cover. Aside from this, the cover displays the title of the book in a very unique way, not at all like any of the other covers. The words "Never Let Me Go" are scattered around the page in a very separated way, each letter is uneven and of a different font size. Almost as if the title was ripped apart and mutilated before making it onto the cover. This cover displays obvious foreshadowing to the book; however, it places a large importance on the tragedy of the story, choosing only to highlight negative aspects.

Cover D: I would argue that Cover D is the most orthodox of the four covers. The title is formatted in a traditional way, and the image shown is easy to stomach - much unlike Cover C. Behind the title you can see what appears to be a young girl turning away from the viewer in a quick motion, so her outline is out of focus. She is in front of a tan, yellow colored background that causes her blue outfit to pop out. This cover doesn't give much away; solely showing that this story is about a girl who is going through a rough time, shown by her aversion to facing things head on.

Closer Examination of Covers C and D:

What are the first words that come into your mind when you see this image? What does it make you think of?

C: When I first see this cover my mind goes straight to the Holocaust and how they used to do horrible experiments on humans there. I think of science and torture. The way that the organs are separated from any sort of body makes it seem as if the life they used to be connected to no longer matters. The barbed wire makes it seem like this is not a voluntary thing either, but rather something that is forced and torturous.

D: When I see this cover my mind goes straight to mystery and secrets. The way that the lady is turning away from the reader so quickly makes it seem as if she is hiding something. The blurry nature of her appearance only adds to this theme of ambiguity. I would liken her appearance to that of a ghost, only present for a second before wisping away into non-existence.

If you hadn't read any of the novel, what would this image make you think the book was about? Now that you've read the novel, what kind of relationship(s) does this image have to the text?

C: When looking at this cover, I would guess that the story within was about an oppressive governmental power that controls its citizens. The poor and disadvantaged are sent off to camps where they are tested on so that the rich can benefit. After reading the text though, I see that the vital organs are obviously meant for donation, not testing. I think this can be seen in the way that they are all still connected on the cover, almost as if they are being offered up. The barbed wire shows that there is oppression and control, but actually reading the story shows that this control isn't in the traditional way that one would probably expect.

D: The fair image of a fleeting lady, combined with the title "Never Let Me Go," would make me guess that this story is one of romance. The bright color of the dress expresses femininity and the confident movements of the woman further this idea. I would guess that perhaps the woman has a secret that is preventing her from loving fully, or something of the like. After reading the story, I think that the idea of this being a romance isn't completely off base. Kathy and Tommy's relationship throughout the story could certainly be seen as one of a budding romance. The way that the woman turns away from the camera does accurately portray the secrets in the story, just not necessarily any that Kathy has, herself. Maybe she's turning away from the reader because of the brutality of the world she lives in.

Since early childhood we are told not to judge a book by its cover. However, after receiving this assignment, I think it's easy to say that Mrs. Genesky did not learn that lesson. Perhaps she skipped early childhood and the lessons that accompanied it. Perhaps.... she's a clone?