We are thrilled to share the cover for Emerson Whitney’s upcoming novel Daddy Boy, out from McSweeney’s on May 30, 2023. This book is a stunning exploration of transness, adulthood, and the unexpected ways our lives can surprise us.
The cover, designed by Sunra Thompson, features a photograph of a tornado, hinting at the themes of adventuring and image-making that are explored in the book. Emerson Whitney told Lit Hub, “I hope you all like this cover as much as I do, that green is so good to me—I always try to buy clothes that are this color, honestly, and against the lettering in that style, I find myself wanting to have the book around and to hold it.”
Sunra Thompson, the Art Director of McSweeney’s, spoke to us about the inspiration behind the imagery: “Daddy Boy, like Emerson Whitney’s previous book Heaven, blends theory and memoir in a singular way. This new book, however, has a big, exciting, almost cinematic plot feature that we thought we’d try to emphasize on the cover: tornado chasing! From the beginning, I think, we wanted to have a tornado on the cover, so we asked the incredible Amandine Urruty to draw a snapshot of a tornado for us.”
We can’t wait to read Daddy Boy and explore the themes of transness, adulthood, and unexpected surprises that Emerson Whitney has woven into this story. Be sure to pre-order your copy today!
