Today I came upon the cover of The Greatcoat – a ghost story by Helen Dunmore – and a striking cover at that. The book has just come out this month, but I could have sworn it was an old title as I was sure I’d seen the cover before, some time ago.  My original thought was that the image had been used on another book but I find no evidence to support this possibility, nor is it likely as the image fits the synopsis too closely to be anything other than a commissioned photograph. (But just in case I’m not going mad, anyone seen it somewhere else before?)

It is far more likely that I already had a fleeting view of it in The Bookseller months ago (a forthcoming releases preview perhpas) and the image subconsciously stuck in my mind (proof that it is an effective cover) although it occurs to me that the Air Force pilot’s hand on the window pane is the real cause of this déjà vu.  I’m suddenly reminded of an old A&B title – The Glass Wall, by Clare Curzon – and another hand pressed against a glass pane. My hand in fact.  On a glass wall in the office.  Funny the things that can conjure up a forgotten memory.

Chiara Priorelli, Publicty & Online Marketing Manager