In which we judge a book by its cover

Over at Bookslut, Nina McLaughlin writes about an early Edna O'Brien novel, August Is a Wicked Month, which I am determined to find and read, because of (1) the excellent title, (2) McLaughlin's description of the book, which makes me wonder why I've not read any O'Brien, and (3) the cover, which appears to be a photograph of the author:That is just the most compelling portrait photo I've seen in a long time.