{"id":309325,"date":"2026-04-16T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/electricliterature.com\/?p=309325"},"modified":"2026-04-16T10:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:04:07","slug":"exclusive-cover-reveal-of-blow-yourself-up-by-ankur-thakkar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/electricliterature.com\/exclusive-cover-reveal-of-blow-yourself-up-by-ankur-thakkar\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive Cover Reveal of “Blow Yourself Up” by Ankur Thakkar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of <\/em>Blow Yourself Up<\/a> by Ankur Thakkar, which will be published on September 15th, 2026 by Triquarterly Books. You can <\/em>pre-order your copy<\/em> here<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blow Yourself Up<\/em> is a story of first love across cities, spanning the decade that transformed the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the halls of an elite East Coast high school, Arjun and Payal fall in love as the world begins to tilt toward the digital. Over the next eight years, their trajectories diverge as sharply as the fractured internet itself. Payal ascends to the dizzying, dopamine-fueled heights of New York\u2019s influencer economy, finding fame on Boost, a looping video app that is as rewarding as it is demanding. Meanwhile, in a cavernous office in Chicago, Arjun, a musician whose dreams have quieted, now cleans up the same platform\u2019s debris, moderating the internet\u2019s darkest videos. When a brutal act of political violence against a beloved musician goes viral, this rip in reality forces the pair to confront the motivations of the platforms they inhabit. A sharp exploration of creative ambition and the multifarious nature of identity, this is a story of love in the time of infinite scroll and a look at what we sacrifice to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here is the cover, designed by Matt Avery:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ankur Thakkar: <\/strong>This novel is a love story (and so, a ghost story), told from both characters’ perspectives, a will-they-won\u2019t-they narrative spanning from the era of the first smartphones to when the internet scrambled our brains. It\u2019s about making a creative life as the internet changed what creativity means. There aren\u2019t obvious visuals for this story\u2014rather, there are, but I wasn\u2019t interested in them. The designer provided several great directions, but this figure immediately stood out. I couldn’t have dreamt it up myself, but it felt so right. There\u2019s the tension between digital and analog life, of identities coming into being, and the undercurrent of yearning that guides both characters. I would have been equally drawn to the figure if it were stenciled on a wall, used as an album cover, or as a posthumous symbol. I\u2019m so grateful to have this horny emo book reflected through Matt Avery\u2019s palette.<\/p>\n\n\n