Shelf Candy Saturday No. 191: A Madness So Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful covers!

It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!

Here's my choice for this week!

A Madness So Discreet 
Mindy McGinnis

 Hardcover, 376 pages
 Katherine Tegen Books

October 6, 2015
  Historical Fiction,Mystery, Thriller,
 Young Adult Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

This is a totally brilliant cover! I've honestly never come across anything like this before. This image has such a surreal quality....it's actually haunting, but not in a supernatural sense. No, it's haunting in the sense that it's disturbing, unsettling, and not easily forgotten.

Two-tiered covers are not always successful, as the composition can give an impression of fragmentation. That's not the case here, because the girl's body is the bridge between the upper and lower sections of this cover. Furthermore, her green dress leads the eye down, then back up again.  

I see this image as symbolic of someone desperately struggling against insanity. The top section of the cover represents the conscious mind, while the bottom section, which is full of roots, represents the unconscious mind. The young woman is struggling to break through to the conscious mind, and sanity, while the unconscious is trying to drag her down into the depths, there to remain.....

The young woman's desperate struggle is evident in the nearly hopeless gesture she's making, as well as in the wildness of her gorgeous hair, whipping behind her. She has broken through to sanity, but doesn't know if she can remain there....

Even though this is a photograph (although, of course, it's been manipulated), there's a 'painterly' quality about it, immediately reminding me of the Pre-Raphealite painters of the 19th-century. These artists paid great attention to detail, and their colors were jewel-like. I love this art movement! 

The Pre-Raphaelites were also known for their obsession with Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet". And I have noticed echoes of this character in this cover image. Had the title not been present, I would have thought that this was a cover for the play!

I am also reminded of Symbolist Art, which, as the name implies, dealt heavily with symbolism. It was a precursor of the Surrealist Movement.

My favorite fine arts photographer, Jerry Uelsmann, has also used surrealism in his work, although his photographs are mostly in black and white, which makes them very powerful, visually speaking. Even though this cover is done in color, it's still very powerful, however.

Anything having to do with the images of the unconscious mind will attract my attention right away! And so it is that this cover joins my collection of beautifully-designed book covers, covers that are superb precisely because of the  high creativity of their creators! 

Last but not least, I LOVE the font used for the title! It's so elegant, so lacy, and indeed, gives an impression of fragility, which alludes to the fragile hold this young woman has on reality. I especially like the ornamental flourishes on each side of the word "so", in the title. These match the color of the dress, and serve to emphasize the word, as well.

The cover art was created by Brooke Shaden, and the design is by Erin Fitzsimmons.

Shaden was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Temple University with bachelor's degrees in film and English. She has developed a fine art photography style based on self-portraiture, with the inclusion of fantasy elements, which places her squarely in the tradition of surrealist art. She incorporates painterly techniques into her work, as well.

Shaden has participated in many group exhibitions, and has also held solo exhibitions of her work. Furthermore, she has published several monographs, and has illustrated book and magazine covers. She has been featured in many magazine articles, and has received several awards. In 2014, she was named one of the Top 10 Most Influential Photographers by Shutter Magazine.

Erin Fitzsimmons has a B.A., as well as Individualized Study with a concentration in Photojournalism, from New York University. She also studied at the School of Visual Arts. She's currently the Associate Art Director at HarperCollins Publishers, and has received several awards. Her cover for Black Boy White School was selected as one of the 50 best book covers of 2011 by AIGA's 50 Books/50 Covers.

     

   

Online Links
Website: Brooke Shaden
Resume: Brooke Shaden
Website: Erin Fitzsimmons
Resume: Erin Fitzsimmons
The Pre-Raphaelites
Ophelia and the Pre-Raphaelites
Symbolist Art
Surrealism

  

What do you think of this 
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!