Cover 1 seems to be an unfocused photograph of a girl with long blonde hair, pink blouse, and black skirt, sitting down on the grass looking down with greenery in the background. The author’s name is in pale yellow text and the title is in white text. The author’s name is a smaller font than the title. Cover 1 uses an image of a lone girl looking down at the grass and this reflects Kathy’s narrative the most. The cover brings up a similar feeling as in the scene where Kathy pauses and stares at a spot to feel like she is the only one in Hailsham. It also reflects the environment of Hailsham and how peaceful it is supposed to be, letting its occupants be well cared for and enjoy the environment.
Cover 2 seems to be blurry image almost like an impressionist painting of a figure with short dark hair in a blue shirt and skirt spinning to look backwards against a yellow background. The author’s name is in black and the title is in red lettering. Cover 2 gives the impression of something being told yet not told, similar to how Kathy’s narrative is structured with only parts of the overall picture revealing itself at any one point. Through Katy’s perspective, her life feels almost like something the reader could have grown up in with a few key details missing or hidden. It also captures the whirlwind of Kathy’s narrative, her jumping from tangent to tangent before going back to the original story. The color scheme is kept bright, almost distracting from the red lettering of the title.
Cover 3 brings about a feeling unpreparedness. There is a boat on the shore of the shallow part of a body of water with the rest of the shore outline in the background with several poles. The color scheme ranges from black to a yellow green, making the white lettering of the cover stand out more. The boat is tied to a post and on shore but lacking any other equipment like paddles. The small “dingy” provides an illusion of leaving the shore as an actual choice. This reminds me of the guardians giving the children ways and means of being able to survive out in the real world by teaching them history and literature, but not any a practical means of controlling where they go, such as balancing a budget or the legal process. The boat is also small enough to only allow one or two passengers enforcing the feeling of isolation of the viewer.
Cover 4 is a blurred grey image of tall trees among a grey sky with the outline of a human torso and internal organs in barbed wire imposed on top of it. The title is made with the barbed wire with inconsistent font. The author’s name is near the bottom in a much smaller font with alternating black and white lettering. Cover 4 is the only one that makes it feel dystopia and not a romance, almost going as far as horror. The barbwire reflect feelings of danger and being trapped. The outline of organs makes gives a clue about the plot, along the lines of organ donation/focusing on body parts/organs. The background of dark forest gives the impression of being kept from something, especially with the use of the barbed wire. The different font for the letters also contribute to the feeling of unrest and desperation, maybe even childishness.
None of the covers portray a sense of community while they are promoting the isolation of their subjects though each does provide a different interpretation of what that looks like. Cover 1 shows the isolation as a moment of choice and reprieve, a chance to reflect. This is shown by the girl almost relaxing as she sits among nothing that seems to be disturbing her. Cover 2 portrays the figure in motion, making the viewer to partake in any single detail other there is movement among bright colors, which is typically associated with positive emotions. Yet, being unable to see her face or having any other people to compare it to leaves this doubt to this assumption of happiness. As said before, the lone boat of Cover 3 taunts a small party with the possibility of getting away from the dark shore but only onto the yellow-brown water which based on color scheme, does not seem welcoming. The sheer horror of Cover 4 makes the figure to seem lonely because with its imagery and materials promote the idea of being trapped and examined down to uncomfortable levels.
Cover 1 Analysis
The cover brings up words like “lonely,” “peace”, and “calm”. This cover makes me think of sitting in the grass during recess and focusing all of my energy on making flower chains with the yellow dandelions. If I had not read the novel I would think the book is similar to The Fault in Our Stars in the sense that the girl is calmly waiting for death or a major change to happen to her without her consent. As stated, I think this image is trying to recreate the impression of Kathy focusing on a single point whenever she is sort of alone to zone out everyone else and pretend she is the only one in the building.I would say that this point of view is from one of guardians or maybe Ruth or Tommy. While the viewer can see how the girl is focusing on something, the image does not make an attempt to understand what that is. The image re-enforces that it takes place in England with the Western clothes. The types of people who would read this book would probably be teenagers or young adults. The title “Never Let Me Go” in combination with the young girl would draw someone interested in romance novels with that target audience.
