Unfortunately I can't seem to upload the images here, so please go to https://www.facebook.com/chitradivakaruni, and vote for
the one you prefer (version A yellow, or version B white). Please,
if you have a moment, tell
me why you like it better.
You can comment on this blog or on FB. I do appreciate your time!
Below is a brief description of Oleander Girl,
so you'll have a sense of which cover is more fitting.
Thanks as always for your support of my writing.
Chitra
OLEANDER GIRL, A SNEAK PEEK
Korobi Roy, heir of an old and distinguished Kolkata household, has met and fallen in love with Rajat, the only son of the Boses, a high-profile nouveau riche business family. Their engagement is a grand affair, but that same evening Korobi's grandfather, who has brought her up since the death of her mother at Korobi's birth, passes away. He leaves behind a dark secret, at once devastating and exhilarating, which will shatter Korobi's sense of self and will thrust her out of her sheltered Kolkata life into a courageous and troubled search, with few resources, across post 9/11 America, a country that she finds at once dangerous, unwelcoming and alluring. What she discovers at the end will force her to make the most difficult choice of her life.
Meanwhile in India Rajat must struggle with his own challenges--outbreaks of Hindu-Muslim violence, in the wake of the Godhra riots, in the Bose's warehouse; money problems stemming from the vandalism of their New York art gallery; an ex-girlfriend who refuses to let him go; and his own jealous suspicions as Korobi travels through America in the company of a disturbingly attractive private investigator named Vic.
Set against a fast-changing world of social, economic and political tensions in India and America that will force the characters to question the beliefs and preconceptions they have grown up with, Oleander Girl is ultimately an exploration of the nature--and the cost--of love, and the ways in which it can help us survive in the midst of hate.

To those of us who know and love the body of your work version A (the yellow one) would be the most recognizably yours :). And the one I would reach for on the shelf!
On the the hand, version B, without the words, most resembles a 'bestseller' cover -- and might attract a different/new audience.
Version B, with the words, is perhaps the mid-ground between the two.
I truly look forward to reading Oleandar Girl, whichever cover you choose!
Thanks, Samantha. That's very helpful to know. And what a nice comment you've ended with!