The greatest difficulty I encountered with the design of this book cover was the complexity of the novel itself, which tells three stories simultaneously.

The design was influenced by a series of old children’s books provided by the author and my love for the tactile quality of old books. It was also influenced by the eighth paragraph into the novel: “At the bottom of the cliffs, black swans sang mournfully. The stately birds dipped their necks in and out of the water, arching, straining: an ocean of questions marks.”