Anita Desai

Cry the Peacock was her debut novel, published in 1963.  She was one of the first S. Asian women authors being published, and I would guess that some of the publishing industry's assumptions about such women's work had not yet had time to form at that point.  That might explain the innocuousness of her cover.

Her next title was Fire on the Mountain, published in 1977 in hardcover.  Note that it features a woman's face that is still, not in motion.  She wears a red sari, and this face also appears quite young.  Given that the protagonist of the novel is an old woman, whose great-granddaughter comes to visit, presumably the publisher decided that a young girl made for a better cover image than an old woman.

This novel won the National Academy of Letters Award and the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize.  Interestingly, the 1990 paperback edition offers a landscape of hills.  

In 1978, Desai published Games at Twilight.  This cover features a child (female?) behind a veil.

In 1980, Desai published Clear Light of Day.  Again, the red sari, and the woman hides her mouth.

Clear Light of Day was short-listed for the Booker Prize, a major award.  

In 1982, she published a children's novel, The Village by the Sea, which won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.  Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to track down an image of the original cover (Heinemann, hardcover) for this title yet.

In 1984, Desai published In Custody, her second novel to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It was also eventually (1993) made into an award-winning movie by Merchant Ivory.  This cover is unusual, in that it's illustrated, and the focus is on a building.

In 1988, she published Baumgartner's Bombay, which featured a male protagonist.  Note that the shop is given almost as much prominence as he is.

In 1999, Fasting, Feasting came out, with a sensuous focus on food, and a very modern, artistic design.  This title was her third to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

In 2000, Desai published Diamond Dust and Other Stories, and the now orange sari returns, with the woman entirely hidden except for her hand.

Finally, in 2004, she published The Zigzag Way, set in 20th century Mexico.  The motionless figure is hidden behind hat, clothes, and shadows.

In 2006, Anita Desai's daughter, Kiran Desai, won the Booker Prize.  We'll come back to her in a bit.