We were disappointed in the lack of depth other book jackets offered towards Vast Fields of Ordinary.
Other book jackets for comparison:
With our book jacket, we wanted to represent both the character of Dade Hamilton, the main character throughout the novel, as well as other key themes. Themes such as betrayal, confusion of identity, rebellion, and loss.
Let’s begin with the relevance of the fireflies: we felt they represented both homogeneity, as well as extravagance. Often, fireflies are referred to en masse; typically referred to as a group, as opposed to any particular one. This very adequately reflected Dade’s feelings amongst his own peer group. He is one of many, yet he is unique amongst the group. Dade doesn’t seek to stand out, but, much like the firefly on our cover, he has no choice but to stand out. The wings, we felt, were an embodiment of his identity. He only truly begin to emerge into himself as he moved throughout the course of the novel.
Much thought went into the particular colors on our book jacket. The shades of blue are representative of the specific themes, as mentioned before, throughout the entirety of the novel. They stand in particular contrast to the bright lights of the fireflies. Dade Hamilton does an eloquent job of expressing our intent:
“There is always hope. The world is vast and meant for wandering. There is always somewhere else to go.”
These fireflies represent the hope that Dade, near the end of the novel, realizes still exists in his world. They are the bits of light that Dade clings onto; the friends he makes throughout the novel, his loves.
It’s important to note that we felt it necessary to move Dade to the front of this cover, represented by the brightly colored firefly, only because he was the perspective we were understanding the novel through. Each character throughout the novel was distinct and unique, and would have lent an entirely different narrative structure to the book.
