Never Let Me Go

There are not very many similarities between the two covers. The first similarity that I can find is that the largest words on the covers are in the title “Never Let Me Go” and they are both in all capital letters. The next largest are the author’s name, “Kazuo Ishiguro,” also in all capital letters. Also, even though the pictures on the covers look completely different, they both show a forest.

There are many more differences between the two covers. The first cover has many more words. It states that it is a “Man Booker Prize Finalist” and gives a review from The New York Times. It also has the words, “A Novel” underneath the author’s name. On the second cover, there are fewer words, and the title seems messier because it is not in a straight line. The pictures on the covers are also very different. On the first one, there are more colors, and the colors are brighter. There is a girl sitting down in the grass looking over her shoulder. On the second one, the color scheme is blue/gray and looks very bleak. There is also a body made of barbed wire.

The cover of the first one immediately makes me think it is a love story. The title combined with the colors and the picture of the girl make me think that the girl wants someone to hold on to her. If I had never read the book, I would not think that there was anything particularly different about this book compared to other love stories. However, the review from The New York Times calls it “melancholy and alarming.” This would make me interested in the novel, but I still would not realize what the book was about. Now that I have read the book, it seems that the picture on the cover is focusing on the social relationships in the story, and it is saying that the book is about humanity.

The cover of the second one immediately makes me think that the book is more of a science fiction book. It has a dark cover that kind of looks like metal, and the body made of barbed wire only shows the organs which makes me think it is more sinister. It is interesting that it shows only the torso with organs and no head or any other part of the body. It emphasizes that in the book, the organs are the only important part of the person (clone). It is very hard to guess what the book is about just by looking at the cover, but I think I would have been able to figure out what the book was about earlier on while reading it if I had already seen this cover. Since I have read the book, it is obvious that the cover is making a connection to the fact that the people in the book donate their vital organs. This cover is focusing on that (creepier) aspect of the story and is saying that the story is about the people dealing with this part of their lives.

These two covers, although completely different and suggesting very different stories, do effectively communicate the ideas of the book. The covers appeal to different people and therefore the book is able to obtain a wider audience.