STOP LOOKING AT ME

I would like to state for the record that pictures of authors on the jackets of books are a scourge upon literate humanity. The smug half-smile, perhaps the artfully placed hand on chin, the contemplatively arched brow, the placid yet challenging set of the eyes. Feh! Every time I close the book there’s this little idiot looking up at me, and I’m forced to think, “I am reading what they wrote. This chin-holding fool,” and I despair. Most recent offender: Kazuo Ishiguro. All-time worst offender: Susanna Clarke. Exception: Robert Sapolsky.