u/TheFutureIsFiction

The publisher looked at it on her phone and had trouble making heads or tails of what is even pictured here; I've been staring at it for weeks so I could really use some perspective! What sort of story would you guess this to be? What genre? What setting? Can you even figure out what is in the image?!

Told to avoid typical romantic style of historical fiction covers to try to look more literary. I tried to make the water look uninviting, like a murky lake you wouldn't want to touch, while using the light filtering through water to suggest the depth of themes. Story is set (partly) on a Northern farm during the Civil War. Will this be enticing for that audience? Any glaring issues you would change? Is everything legible?