Novels With Iconic Book Covers

Behind the piercing white light illuminating the cover, discover the story of Juno and Legs — two outcasted members of society brought together by their differences. In 1980s Dublin, Juno is in the depths of poverty, emphasized by the death of her mother. When she meets shy Legs — facing his own troubles regarding his sexuality — the two find a deep love and understanding within each other. As they face the consequences of their vengeful actions against the community that excludes them, Juno and Legs manage to pull each other out from rock bottom. But at a time when religion and the AIDS epidemic are strongly affecting the political climate, their unbreakable bond might be forced to shatter.

At the heart of this short story collection is the tragic tale of the Trojan priestess Cassandra and her ability to see the future, but her inability to be believed by others. Apollo cursed her with this after she refused his sexual advances — laying the groundwork for the other stories in this collection. Gracing the cover is a fiery image of Cassandra herself — saucer-eyed at the horrors she knows. Kirby uses both magical elements and true-to-life moments to draw attention to the sexual violence women face — both on small and large scales. From the time of Cassandra to the modern day, Kirby’s lens follows generations of women and not only the threats made against them — but also their revenge.

Using Jacques-Louis David’s Portrait of a Young Woman in White as the cover art, Moshfegh’s novel of a woman abusing pills to sleep for a year brings together the Romantic Era’s depictions of women lounging with modern elements that are punctuated by bold pink text. With the help of her forgetful and unorthodox psychiatrist, she self-medicates by getting all the pills she needs to knock out for a year. Using her inheritance to keep herself afloat, and leaving her apartment only for the essentials found at her neighborhood bodega, the narrator’s restful — yet restless — days are just what the doctor ordered — but what happens when the year ends and her problems await her return?

Melvin and Bernadette may seem like a pastor and wife — but they’re hiding a secret. With a vibrant and mysterious cover, this story delivers exactly that. After they’re held at gunpoint by a racist man in Alabama, Melvin grabs the gun out of his hands and shoots him dead. Although this is an act of self-defense, Melvin knows that a judge in 1966 will sentence a Black man to death for shooting a white man. Instead of submitting to this fate, they flee to Ghana where Melvin knows the president who can keep them safe. But when the couple meets musician Kwesi Kwayson, Bernadette’s interest in him goes beyond his music. But Kwesi isn’t the only other person interfering with their relationship — an FBI agent is hot on their trail.

Told through vignettes of impactful moments, Andreades takes on the collective voice of Brown girls and their experiences as first-generation daughters in New York City. From their acute awareness of the cultural differences between them and their white counterparts, to the celebration of these differences with their friends, Andreades reveals the feelings that she finds simultaneously unique and common within this community. With two depictions of what made these girls — their home and the city — this cover portrays the distinct line between who they are at home in Queens to who they become in the skyscrapers of Manhattan amongst those born into them.

From centuries past, to the present, to worlds far into the future, Mandel follows the lives of various people all strangely connected. When a present-day video reveals puzzling footage of different moments crossing paths, it seems almost impossible that this could be the work of an error in time travel. Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is sent to report on this anomaly — something which requires the use of time travel — and makes discoveries and revelations that could break the spacetime continuum. The cover bears a tranquil scene with one character that shines in each century in the novel — the moon. While the characters, lives, and time periods may change, the moon is the one who remains.

Like the abstract ballerina on this cover, dance your way through the pages of the gripping story of a ballet choreographer and her fraught relationship with her father and with dance itself. In her youth, Carlisle was dedicated to ballet, but nearly 20 years later her love for it has dwindled and she no longer speaks to her father — until she finds out he’s dying. Compelled to visit him, moments from Carlisle’s past resurface revealing the reasons for her estrangement from her father and his partner James, and the loss of her passion for dance. Intertwined with the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic, Howrey’s novel chassés through the complexities within relationships, familial and romantic, and reveals that when the price is too high, some dreams are worth waking up from.

Despite holding a degree from Oxford, Yinka’s Nigerian mother and aunts are solely focused on the fact that she’s an unmarried 31-year-old woman. When her cousin gets engaged and she loses her job, Yinka launches Operation Find-A-Date-for-Rachel’s-Wedding — one who would be good enough to even be her huzband. Yinka begins a journey that is just as much of a search for herself as it is for romance. With a vibrant cover depicting different women inside Yinka’s head, we know that the pressure has gotten to her. Can she quiet the voices of her mother, aunts, and friends to hear who — or what — she wants for once?

Alice — and a cast of other swimmers — cherishes time at her local pool. For over 30 years, she’s swam laps back and forth — even as she loses her memory, swimming is the one thing she hasn’t forgotten. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool that puzzles swimmers, lifeguards, and health and safety professionals alike, the pool’s regulars begin to dwindle. When more cracks appear, the pool’s shutdown is imminent — what will happen when Alice no longer has the one thing in her routine that she never forgets? With a cover of a refreshing swimming pool — you’ll immediately feel the water cool your sun-warmed skin — dive into the story of a small crack with huge consequences.