In partnership with Sevenoaks Bookshop, join established writer, poet and UNHCR Ambassador JJ Bola to celebrate the publication of his heart-wrenching and raw novel, The Selfless Act of Breathing, as part of the Dialogue Book Lounge.

Michael decides to flee to America and end his life once all his savings run out. JJ Bola's second novel is a story of millennial existential angst told through the eyes of a young Londoner who seems to have it all - a promising future, a solid career, strong friendships, a blossoming love story - but it's the unbearable weight of life that leads him to decide to take his own.

As he grapples with issues bigger than him - political conflict, environmental desecration, police brutality - Michael seeks to find his place within a world that is complicated and unwelcoming.

Although he finds solace in the people that surround him, he alone must decide if his life is worth living.

In conversation for this exclusive virtual event, JJ Bola will explore the themes of his novel, tackling important issues such as mental health, police brutality and the power of love from his own unique perspective.

Framing existential questions about the spiritually crushing weight of modern life in a beautifully wrought character study of a millennial Londoner toying with suicide, this event promises to be a profound, exhilarating experience.