There are two different covers for An Untamed State, both of which illustrate Mireille's kidnapping in a different way.
The cover on the left has bright colors and a deceivingly hopeful feel to it. When I first looked at it I noticed the bright sunlight, palm tree, and woman running away. I knew the story was set in Haiti and involved a kidnapping, but felt hopeful for whoever was on the front going into it. She looks like she is in good health, and is going to be able to escape whatever she is running from because you can't see anyone else on the cover. After reading the book, I realized that my initial guesses about the book based on the cover couldn't have been more wrong. Now, I think the cover depicts the heartbreaking scene in the book when Mireille gets temporarily released from captivity. In the novel, Mireille wakes up one morning disoriented, confused, and handcuffed to the Commander's bed. She notices that there is also another younger woman in the room and begs for her help, and she surprisingly agrees. "Her skin was soft. I needed someone soft to hold on to, someone who wouldn't hurt me. I needed to believe a woman wouldn't hurt me" (133). Mireille needed to believe in this woman because she was her last option; her father had seemingly abandoned her while every other man in the house had used her for whatever they pleased. Mireille gets out of the room, puts on new clothes, and, to my relief, is able to escape from the house. Freedom was in front of her with nobody chasing behind her; the scene I think the cover is portraying. I truly thought Mireille was going to successfully escape when she made it into a cafe nearby and was able to use their phone to call for help. Unfortunately, the Commander was on the other end of the call and arrived quickly to bring her back and pay off the workers who let her use the phone. The Commander gloated, "Don't look so disappointed. You were never going to get away. Your father may think he owns the city but I own these streets" (136). We find out that the woman who let Mireille go was actually the Commander's sister and only carrying out one of his sick plans. At that point, I was crushed and lost all hope for Mireille. The scripted, false sense of freedom took away any idea I had of a happy ending. After reading the book, I think this cover is powerful because it gives off an optimistic feel, yet in reality depicts the cruel and pivotal scene that gave Mireille a mere glimpse at freedom. I think that the cover on the right is more representative of the book due to its dark nature and the cage. Mireille refers to the room she is held captive in as a "cage"over 30 times throughout the book. "In the cage there was no time. I don't know when I fell asleep. There were only the walls threatening to close in on me and the heavy stillness of the air. I lay alone on the narrow mattress, my body lonely for my husband. We had not slept apart in years" (56). Gay uses the cage as a symbol throughout the book to illustrate the complete helplessness Mireille faced. The animals who kidnapped her kept her locked in the cage, and too often, she found herself locked in the cage with those same animals with no hope of escape. Like the cage on the cover, Mireille was able to see the street outside of the room she was trapped in, but wasn't able to get out. The dark cover has a gothic, scary to feel to it that captures the feeling I got of the place where Mireille was held captive. It was no longer a room with four walls and a bed, but rather a cage that had animals waiting on the outside for their turn to get in. |
Searching through twitter using #anuntamedstate, I found someone's post that recognized the similarities between the cover of An Untamed State (2014) and Unburnable (2007). The covers aren't just similar, they're the exact same. Look at the position of her hair, hand, and shirt. The only difference between the two is that the cover in An Untamed State is zoomed in on the woman, adds in a palm tree, and has a brighter tone.
In addition to their covers, the novels also have a similar story line. After reading about the book, I realized that the main character in Unburnable, Lillian Baptise, fled from the Dominica when she was fourteen years old. She fled after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, a crazy woman whose life was supposed to be filled with secrets, havoc, and a murder. Similar to Mireille, Lillian also returned to her native island years later to rejoin her family and face the demons of her past. The story chronicles her return home and attempt to heal after leaving her traumatic situation.
I was extremely surprised to find that the cover of Roxane Gay's new novel is the same as Unburned, which was published seven years early, because I had never seen it happen before. The cover for the novels depicts someone running from something; a central theme in both novels. They both also focus on the struggles with leaving a native country, family issues, and attempts to heal from traumatic events.
In addition to their covers, the novels also have a similar story line. After reading about the book, I realized that the main character in Unburnable, Lillian Baptise, fled from the Dominica when she was fourteen years old. She fled after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, a crazy woman whose life was supposed to be filled with secrets, havoc, and a murder. Similar to Mireille, Lillian also returned to her native island years later to rejoin her family and face the demons of her past. The story chronicles her return home and attempt to heal after leaving her traumatic situation.
I was extremely surprised to find that the cover of Roxane Gay's new novel is the same as Unburned, which was published seven years early, because I had never seen it happen before. The cover for the novels depicts someone running from something; a central theme in both novels. They both also focus on the struggles with leaving a native country, family issues, and attempts to heal from traumatic events.