Luna is thrilled to reveal the cover for This Is Our Undoing, the speculative debut novel by Lorraine Wilson, created by the incredibly talented Daniele Serra!
I am so proud to work with an artist of Daniele's caliber, and not for the first time! Daniele's style is immediately recognizable: the images are evocative of parallel realities; the softness of the shapes can equally sooth and shake you; the details seep into your subconscious; and the perfectly chosen colours add a new layer of story telling.
And I am not simply saying this because he is a fellow Italian - Daniele's art tells many stories at once, all trapped between his watercolour strokes.
After reading a story, I gather the feelings that have been evoked in me, and I think of how to express them through art. In the case of Lorraine's book, I had no doubts, but to go to Daniele.
Lorraine Wilson's debut novel, is set in the Rila mountains of Bulgaria, following the story of biologist Lina Stephenson. As you travel with Lina, you are constantly surrounded by woods and nature, but not always in the peaceful way you may envision. And the fox is part of this journey. To me, what Daniele created is the most perfect match for This Is Our Undoing.
When I showed it to Lorraine, I knew my instinct had been right. Lorraine says:
"Whenever I tried to picture my book cover, the one image I always saw was a fox. So, understandably, when Francesca sent me Daniele Serra’s stunning art, I was a little emotional. Why I wanted a fox is tricky to explain without spoilers so I’ll just say this: That to me, foxes came to symbolise that dichotomy of fierceness and fragility which I think lies at the heart of a lot of my characters. They also represent the wild - the intangibility of the forest and the night that I hoped to capture in my writing. … Plus they are cool. There is no carnivore more adaptable or resilient, few as floofy, and none that can pounce into snowbanks with such perfection.
It is an honour to have such beautiful art on my book, art that to me captures the very heart of this story. There may have been tears at seeing the final versions, and also some slight dancing."
You can read Lorraine's experience of working through the cover process, on her website.
This Is Our Undoing will be released on the 3rd of August 2021, in hardback, paperback and ebook. And if you can't wait for Lorraine's debut novel to discover her style, wait till March because her short story "Bathymetry" will be published on Strange Horizons.
If you are a reviewer and would like an ARC, please get in touch with us!
About the book:
Could you condemn one child to save another?
In a near-future Europe fracturing under climate change and far-right politics, biologist Lina Stephenson works in the remote Rila Mountains, safely away from London State.
When an old enemy dies, Lina’s dangerous past resurfaces, putting her family’s lives at risk. Trapped with her vulnerable sister alongside the dead man’s family, Lina is facing pressure from all sides: her enemy’s eldest son is determined to destroy her in his search for vengeance, whilst his youngest carries a sinister secret...
...But the forest is hiding its own threats and as a catastrophic storm closes in, Lina realises that if she is to save her family, she must become a monster.
About the author:
Lorraine Wilson lives by the sea in Scotland, writing speculative fiction set in the wilderness and heavily influenced by folklore. She is fascinated by the way both mythology and our relationship with the natural world act as mirrors of ourselves and lenses for how we view others, and with a heritage best described as a product of the British Empire, she is drawn to themes of family, trauma, and belonging. After gaining a PhD in behavioural ecology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland she spent several years as a conservation researcher in odd corners of the world before turning to writing. She has been stalked by wolves, caught the bubonic plague, and once had a tree frog called ‘Algernon’ who lived in her sink.
She has published short fiction and non-fiction in anthologies by Boudicca Press, Ellipsis Zine, The Mechanics’ Institute Review and Retreat West, amongst others; and magazines including Anti-Heroin Chic, Cabinet of Heed, The Forge, Geometry and Terse Journal.
"Bathymetry" will be published on Strange Horizons this coming March.