To answer questions about
In the Distance,
please sign up.
Thomas
There is also the camera obscura effect in the burrow.
Adam
Along with the symmetric background picture this sends me off in a couple of directions.
Firstly, this invokes the image of a mirage experienced by desert travelers which, also considering the title, conjures up the idea of something ahead of Håkan that he only saw imperfectly but that drew him onward throughout his life <spoiler>- firstly to New York, then finally back to Sweden</spoiler>.
Secondly, the book cover invites you to turn it round, repeatedly, to find it is the same at the top and the bottom; what is near is the same as what is distant. Did Håkan find that if you set off to a distant place, once you arrive, any mystique is removed and you see it just as "another place". <spoiler>Perhaps both New York and ultimately Sweden were appealing for the same reason: they were far away?</spoiler>
Firstly, this invokes the image of a mirage experienced by desert travelers which, also considering the title, conjures up the idea of something ahead of Håkan that he only saw imperfectly but that drew him onward throughout his life <spoiler>- firstly to New York, then finally back to Sweden</spoiler>.
Secondly, the book cover invites you to turn it round, repeatedly, to find it is the same at the top and the bottom; what is near is the same as what is distant. Did Håkan find that if you set off to a distant place, once you arrive, any mystique is removed and you see it just as "another place". <spoiler>Perhaps both New York and ultimately Sweden were appealing for the same reason: they were far away?</spoiler>
S.B. Harrison
I think the cover represents going in circles, like the major theme in the book when Hakan thought he travelled around the world but really hadn’t gone that far. The cover is so cool in that it’s like an ambigram, same appearance when turned upside down.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more