Before I get started on this ‘Fangpinion’ I would like to say hello to all the readers here at Eric and Sookie lovers because it has been a long time. I have been MIA because school has kept me pretty busy with tons of homework. I figured since I have a ‘little’ bit of downtime I might as well write a blog post and the perfect opportunity showed up recently in the form of the SSN.
As you all know the cover of the final Sookie book (sniff sniff) was released and it is a beauty! Since the release of the cover, speculation has been running rampant around the Sookieverse. I don’t blame anyone because this goes on every year and it is the final book of a much beloved series and it is so much FUN!
I am taking a Psychology course and lately we have been looking at pictures to determine what we think is going on within them and it amazed me every time that while some people had different interpretations that people all saw the same things or interpreted the symbols in the same way. I am not saying that everyone will have the same perceptions from this cover (especially if they have not read the previous books) but it has been interesting to read what others thoughts are just from the cover alone and I have read some very good speculations (not so different from my own).
Let’s examine what we have on this cover which consists of:
- Sookie in the center dressed in cowboy boots and a red skirt, she appears to be looking backward
- We see a playful, smiling dog
- A happy looking wolf
- A tiger’s tail
- Tomatoes and flowers on each side
- A setting or rising sun (depending on how you viewed it
- Three bats with two flying away and one (the front bat) flying towards Sookie or all three flying away from Sookie
What does all this mean? There are some who would say that it does not mean a thing and that it is just a picture. Don’t you know a picture says a thousand words? lol! As I said above, people do interpret and perceive things differently from a picture but you would be surprised at how similar those perceptions are. I will get back to that in a minute.
I have to say that I LOVE the cover because it so vibrant with color and most important is that Sookie’s feet are firmly planted on the ground. I believe this means that she finally knows where she belongs, what and who she wants in her life and where she is heading. The setting sun is a major tell to me as well as the bat flying towards Sookie. Now this action could be taken in several different ways and they are that:
- she is heading towards her future and saying goodbye to her past (and to us, her fans and readers)
- that she is saying goodbye to all her past suitors and moving towards the setting sun and Eric, her husband
- she is walking toward her future with all her friends by her side, hence the bats and the animals/people that are in the picture
We can all speculate on what the tomatoes and flowers mean but I think they really are a red herring so to speak. In Psychology we learned that just because something is bigger and brighter; therefore commanding your attention, does not mean that it is or should be the focus of the picture. If you notice, the tomatoes and the flowers are enlarged, therefore distracting a viewer of the bigger picture. Tomatoes and flowers just represent part of the sunshine/daytime that Sookie still wants in her life.
When it all comes down to it, people may be seeing it in different ways, with different meanings or the sun is rising and bats are moving away but in the end it all comes down to one thing that is the same and that is: HER FUTURE! She is not saying goodby to the beauty of the daylight but she is embracing the setting sun (not to mention the darker side of herself) and the love she found there. I know I am a sappy romantic! lol
I think we can all agree that Sookie is heading toward a life that she wants and needs. I only want Sookie to be happy and if she gets that in all aspects of her life then I will be a very happy reader. I still believe without a shadow of a doubt that her future will include having Eric by her side for as long as she lives.
P.S. Miss Sookie’s outfit on this cover seems very familiar, as what she wore to Eric’s house when she went to visit him and her skirt is red and we do know that red is very significant to Eric and Sookie. I read that someone called them ‘shit-kickinotsg’ bo! Kick Freyda’s ass Sookie!
I know this has been talked about endlessly already over the past few days but if you have anymore new insights pertaining to the cover or you just want to tell me HI or tell me I am crazy as hell, well then that is fine too. This is Nymerias signing off after giving another one of her ‘FANGPINIONS’!
