US Cover: The Piper's Son

There's been a couple of book cover reveals this week, but I haven't seen anyone mention this awesome book! The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta was released in Australia back in March 2010. The US edition will be released by Candlewick on March 8, 2011. Here is the US cover and summary:


Description: The award-winning author of Finnikin of the Rock and Jellicoe Road pens a raw, compelling novel about a family’s hard-won healing on the other side of trauma.

Award-winning author Melina Marchetta reopens the story of the group of friends from her acclaimed novel Saving Francesca - but five years have passed, and now it’s Thomas Mackee who needs saving. After his favorite uncle was blown to bits on his way to work in a foreign city, Tom watched his family implode. He quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that mattered, including the girl he can’t forget. Shooting for oblivion, he’s hit rock bottom, forced to live with his single, pregnant aunt, work at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckon with his grieving, alcoholic father. Tom’s in no shape to mend what’s broken. But what if no one else is either? An unflinching look at family, forgiveness, and the fierce inner workings of love and friendship, The Piper’s Son redefines what it means to go home again.

Quote from Melina Marchetta:

"Tom’s aunt Georgie spoke to me first, and Tom found me through her. At the time, I didn’t actually think Tom was a big enough character to carry a story. If it had to be anyone from Saving Francesca, I thought, it would be Will Trombal or Tara. But the line in Francesca, ‘I want to be the first male in the Mackee family to reach 40 and still have a liver’ stuck with me, and in the end, Tom has been one of the biggest surprises. I’m glad I didn’t kick him out of my head."

Australia cover

Cover Thoughts: The cover's not bad, but I don't think it's as great as the Australian cover. The Piper's Son is labeled young-adult; however, from the reviews I've read, it's more of a book for older readers / adults. And I can imagine, since the book is about Thomas, who is 21, and his 40-something-year-old aunt. When I see the US cover, I don't get the impression that it's a mature book, and without reading the description, it seems like it'll be about a teenager and his music.

What I do like about the US cover is the colors, the font, and the fact that he's holding a guitar. Like I said, though, I just wish it looked more serious / mature like the Australian cover. (I also wish we didn't see the faces in the crowd, but that's just me being picky.) Maybe it's one of those covers that looks better in person, when you're holding it in your hands. That's how I felt about the US cover of Finnikin of the Rock. It has a light metallic shine to it, which makes it a bit more interesting to look at. Anyway, we'll just have to see in March! So, what do you think of the US cover? And what do you think when you compare it to the awesome Australian cover? :)