Ghanian filmmaker and musical and visual artist Blitz Bazawuele took to social media on Dec 14 to share the cover of his debut novel The Scent of Burnt Flowers. The book will be released June 28, 2022. We are excited to share this cover reveal of the book and Bazawule’s social media post that features an animation of the cover in motion.

The first thing you encounter with the cover is the striking eyes just slightly off center. Set on a dark lavender background, the person in the center is surrounded by leaves and a single orange dandelion. With the animation specifically, if you watch closely, the eyes blink once before the entire cover fades out, leaving a lingering stare from the portrait. Somehow the cover is haunting but intriguing at the same time, enticing you to open it and read the book’s story.

News first broke about the coming novel earlier this year. While this will be Bazawule’s first novel, he has stepped into writing before, writing and directing the award-winning feature film The Burial of Kojo. He is also famous in the art world for his musical talents and directing Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King.

Read a short summary of the story below.

Pre-Order The Scent of Burnt Flowers: Random House