Friday Face-Off: Dog
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“And then there were cats, thought Dog”
~ a cover that features a DOG
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Secret Life of Souls by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee
The Secret Life of Souls is a heart-wrenching family drama combined with horror and just a touch of the paranormal. It follows Delia Cross, a talented child actress who has become so successful that, at eleven years old, she has already become the sole breadwinner for her family. This leaves her dad Bart free to do nothing all day but work on his muscle cars in the garage, while her mom Pat, a former drama student, is happily living a life of stardom vicariously through her daughter. Meanwhile, Delia’s twin brother Robbie is simply content o let his sister take all the attention.
But beneath the surface is a festering bitterness, and everyone around Delia is too self-absorbed or in denial to see the truth. The only one who seems to have any clue what’s going on is Caity, the Crosses’ two-year-old Queensland Heeler. This special dog is Delia’s best friend and confidante, the only member of her family who doesn’t expect anything from her. Caity also comes to play a big role in the book, so not surprisingly, she is featured on a couple of these covers.
From left to right:
Pegasus Books (2016) – German Edition (2017) – French Edition (2016)
Winner:
No contest this week. I love the Pegasus edition, with the starry silhouette of Caity superimposed on a background in which you can just make out the close-up figure of Delia amidst the rippling shades of blue. I really appreciate the little details here, from the dog’s perky ears to the symbolic way she appears to be standing sentinel over the girl, protecting her mind and her spirit.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
The BiblioSanctum 
What a great choice, and this book sounds really good – did you enjoy it?
I kind of like the French edition this week with that zoomed in snippet of the dog’s face.
Lynn 😀
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I did enjoy it! It was a different kind of horror I was used to, but that helped, I think.
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Oh yes – your cover choice is my favourite without question. Apart from anything else – it’s so pretty! And I find myself really drawn to the premise of this book, which sounds a thoroughly intriguing mash-up.
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Yes, it was a very interesting book! And quite thoughtful too. Very different from Ketchum’s usual work, which apparently is more like gruesome slasher stuff – that’s what I’ve heard anyway! This was my first book by him.
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Yes, well – gruesome slasher stuff tends not to adorn my shelves…
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Haha, nor mine 😛
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Lovely cover, perfect choice. 🙂
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Thanks, I’m glad you thought so too 🙂
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I thought about using this book too, I didn’t realize it had other covers! The first one is definitely the best😁
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It didn’t have too many, but it was enough for this feature 🙂
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Your pick is my favorite, too.
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I thought it was the only standout, tbh!
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Well yes, no hesitation here!
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My thoughts exactly!
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I truly loved this book and you are completely right, your choice is my favorite.
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You’re right, it was a good book, and I’m glad today’s FF brought it back to me 🙂
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First, maybe
That second is creepy, some weird doll kid
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Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of that one, too creepy!
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Oooh, I really love that blue cover.
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It’s the most evocative, I agree!
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