How far will you go to feed your ambitions?
That’s the central question in P. Paramita’s debut novel, Appetite. It follows Zarina, an underpaid prep cook in New Haven who dreams of opening a restaurant while finding solace in cooking Bangladeshi-inspired dishes. Zarina idolizes pro wrestler Sierra Myst, who unexpectedly befriends her. From there, her wildest dreams start to come within reach, but the relationship grows imbalanced, pulling her away from her own ambitions.
Paramita herself is a Bangladesh-born, New Haven-based writer, professor, and pop culture enthusiast. Her debut novel will be published on August 4, 2026, by The Dial Press. It is available for pre-order now.
Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover of Appetite, which was designed by Sophia Chunn, along with a Q&A with Paramita about its creation.
While writing the book, did you have any ideas for what you wanted the cover to look like? Because the book is about the uneven, on-and-off dynamic between a young Bangladeshi chef and a famous white wrestler, in the back of my mind I always dreamed of a cover that captured both. It’s a unique combination of main topics, I don’t know any other book that deals with the culinary world and the world of pro wrestling in one story. I wanted readers to pick up the book and immediately know that this novel deals with two seemingly disparate industries.
Can you explain what the design process was like once you started working with your publishing team?
My team sent me a series of questions about different things I wanted and didn’t want in the cover. I conveyed my vision, and I mentioned colors that I wanted, the kinds of fonts I pictured, and sent them images of other covers I love. The artist, Sophia Chunn, did a brilliant job. My team sent over two initial sketches and I loved elements of both so my agent, editors, and I all discussed what we wanted to keep and eliminate from the two options. For example, there was an option with a wrestler on a flaming pan. We thought it’d be more eye-catching but wanted additions that’d make it clear it was wrestling We could have very well gone with the other concept too—which showcased an apron on fire. That image was really cool but I love how the different pieces came together. The vertical title also immediately stood out to me from one of the sketches. We quickly landed on this concept of wrestling occurring inside the pan and a faceless chef adding oil to the mix. Once we had the black and white solidified, we got some color options. There were so many great combinations. Different colored oil bottle, wrestling gear, background color. I love where we ended up.
What was it like seeing your finalized cover for the first time?
It was unreal. I felt excited throughout the early stages of choosing the cover, but seeing all the elements come together to form what I believe is the perfect cover for this story was incredible. I feel so happy that this is the first impression my book has on readers. It’s truly my dream cover.
How does the cover work to convey what the book is all about?
The cover is the perfect blend of wrestling and cooking, the two main topics of the book. It was really important for me that the cover shows a Brown character, and that’s achieved through the hand of the chef. I love that APPETITE is an immigrant story, and one about hope, which is why the purple background is also great. Finally, the oil into the wrestling ring is a really fun element. It shows that there’s trouble brewing in the wrestling world, and it comes in the form of a chef.