Thank you all for voting! Congratulations to Lara Ehrlich (author), Caitlin Sacks (designer of ANIMAL WIFE) and everyone else at Red Hen. Here is a brief snippet of the article from Electric Literature. Read the rest below!
What was the most important thing for you to convey about the book? How did you use the design to get that across?
The author, Lara, really guided me with the direction for the cover. We wanted to emphasize the duality of the title Animal Wife. Is she the human wife of an animal? Or is she the animal? The answer changes between stories.
I think there’s this idea so many women have, that once you get married and have kids, you’re trapped. Your life isn’t your own anymore. The cover wolf/housewife can be seen as a wild animal that’s been domesticated, or she’s a wife with a growing resentment for her family. Either way, those animal instincts are bound to kick in for self preservation eventually.