My favorite book

Basic information about the book - title, author, genre

“The Phantom of the Opera” is a French gothic novel by the writer Gaston Leroux
that was originally published in 1909 as a serialization in a magazine called Le
Gaulois. The novel was based on real historical events at the Paris Opera that
happened during the 1800’s and urban legends from the area.
What information the cover illustration gives about the content of the book
On the cover you can usually see either a masquerade mask with a rose or an ugly
man wearing one. The man is a deformed musician who falls in love with a
beautiful opera singer and that's the core of all Phantom stories - a simple tale of
Beauty and the Beast. So when talking about the novel a lot of people think about
it as the musical, full of romantic scenes and great visuals.
Let me tell you that it's not the case because the original novel has a lot of mystery
elements. It's a dark tale inside the mind of a twisted man. Not only his
disfigurement is grotesque but the stuff he does is truly terrifying. I mean we
always get the impression that all of this is because how much of an outcast he is
but even so he enjoys every minute of it.
What you like/don't like about the cover
Frankly the thing I like most about the cover is its symbolism. It perfectly reflects
the main theme of the story - the idea of identity. The Phantom covers his face
with a mask almost all the time, the main action takes place at the masquerade (and
everyone is wearing a mask). And even the Opera house is a mask on its own
because there is the labyrinth of the Phantom under it.
Why you enjoyed the book or think you would enjoy the book
Actually the best part of the book is the Phantom. The Phantom's actions horrified
us but his background makes it a lot more difficult to hate him.  He is not just
scary, creepy and spooky but also a human. All he wants is love - a primal
necessity for mankind but he doesn't know how to take it. A deeper analysis of the
story can make you question if the world is what makes you evil or if evil is a part
of human characteristics.