I've got you covered ...

All four images of book covers present themes that occur throughout the book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. The four book covers that will be analyzed are blow. The Image in the top left corner will be referred to image #1, the image in the top right will be #2, image in bottom left will be #3, and, image on bottom right will be image #4. 

(Image from Mrs. G blog post) 

All four of these images are unique but all have a different image representing Never Let Me Go. The book is set in a dystopian world where human clones are made and are raised in a place called "Hailsham" in order for them to donate their organs when they become young adults. The novel itself follows the life of Kathy H, who is a clone that is being raised at a boarding school, Hailsham until she becomes old enough to be a carer and donor. Each of these covers have different themes that are included in the novel.

Image #1 uses very bright colors. In the background there is a lot of green, representing nature, as in a place where one goes for peace and quiet. Most likely the one in the middle of the cover is Kathy H. She does not seem very happy due to the way she is sitting and not facing the center. She seems to be out in nature thinking about her life. As the theme throughout the book of what the students at Hailsham represent in society it seems that Kathy H is thinking of her life and her role in society. She knows she is a clone but she seems to not accept it, she went out in nature because she feels isolated from the outside world as well as the other students at Hailsham feel. Although the cover has very bright and warm colors the girl does not seem to be happy. In Image #2 is similar to image #1 when it comes to the feeling of isolation, when I first looked at image #2 it made it look like the book has to do with isolation which is does because the students are isolated from the rest of the world. The image is very dark but also very beautiful, which could possibly show that the book shows something "dark" which could be cloning and something beautiful such as though they thought the students at Hailsham were different they really weren't because they all were unique. This cover represents a very important scene in the book where Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy take a trip to Norfolk to visit the boat before Ruth's completion. However image #2 is in contrast with image #3 because image #2 seems to be more about isolation of the students and image #3 seems to be about the students future. Though they both show very dark colors image #3 is very dark and dull with the dark grey and off white. Looking at this picture makes me cringe because first of all the organs do not seem to be in the right place (at least I think so), this photo truly represents the bigger picture of the novel. The words "Never Let Me Go" are written very messy as if a child drew this photo. It almost seems as if one of the students submitted this piece of art work to the gallery. This cover overall gives off the impression that the book is very sad and dark but it is not because it has lots of beautiful parts to it. Image #4 is very different when comparing it #3 and #2 when it comes to the colors but similar to #1. It is similar to #1 because of the vibrant bright colors and they both have a girl on the front cover. The bright and peaceful colors give the impression that the book is very heart warming. The girl which is very blurry makes it seem that the world is a blur in the novel, which it is. The students are blinded by the world, they are only allowed to know what the guardians and teachers at Hailsham want them to know. I personally do not think this cover fits the book well because although life is a blur for them they still manage to make the best of it and still continue on to be happy even though they know that their role is to give up their organs. 

The two covers I will be examining more closely are image #1 and image #2. 

The first thing that came to my mind when looking at image #1 is Kathy H. This is because the book revolves around her life story of course. As the readers we only know everything from her perspective, we get to see her personal thoughts and ideas. This cover makes me think of Kathy and what a smart individual she is. Although she might not have the best vocabulary she is pretty smart it seems like compared to the others Kathy H seems to understand the world a little better compared to Ruth and Tommy. She seems to be very accepting of her role in society even after she knows she is a clone. If I hadn't read the novel this book cover would make me think the book is about a girl who seems to be lost in life, which technically it can be seen like that but also not really. I would never think it has to do with cloning or even with kids who grow up to donate their organs. The book cover seems to be too warm and makes it seem like the book does not have a dark side to it but it does which we can kind of see with the way the girl is looking down in the center. By the looks of it this book cover seems to be more for young adults because of the way the girl in the center is dressed. She has a long skirt on and a long sleeve shirt on with her hair down and loosely curled which makes her look very innocent and young. Therefore the audience would be young teens. 

The first thing that came to mind when looking at image #2 is how dark and lonely it looks. I instantly thought of the boat scene where Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy went to visit Norfolk before Ruth's completion. Personally I think this cover is the best fit for the novel because now that I have read the book I greatly appreciate this cover because that scene was one of the most important scenes in the book. I say this because I believe this is where Ruth comes to the realization that Kathy H is her true friend, growth is seen in Ruth after this. When they arrive back at the cottages Ruth finally admits that she had been the reason why Tommy and Kathy could never be together she was the one holding them back. Ruth had always been so rude to Kathy despite how nice Kathy had been to her, Ruth realizes that soon she will be off to be a donor and that she should admit to her wrong doings. This is truly beautiful to me because aside from all the dark sides to the story the beautiful parts is the relationships that were built throughout these three, Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy. If I had not read the novel this image would have made me think it was a love story (which it is kind of) but a love story where the couple have a beautiful story then something bad happens in which it deals with "Never Let Me Go". From this book cover we truly do not know who seems to be portrayed or from whom perspective its from. From this book cover it seems to be more of a romance novel and most likely young teen age girls love to read romance novels.