Struggled to get through this story. Therefore I DNF. Thanks for staring a copy even if it didn’t suit my reading tastes.

A stunning and beautifully moving novel - lyrically written and filled with so many memorable passages. I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out but the sparse narrative made it not a huge deal.

The Selfless Act of Breathing is a powerful and emotional read.

Looking at Michael Kabongo, no one would guess the inner turmoil he is experiencing. On the surface, he seems like a friendly and charismatic fellow on the inside; however, he is more than a little depressed and quite philosophical.

He decides to give up his job as a teacher and embark on a trip to America until his savings run out. Once they are gone, he will end his life.

Told in dual timelines, the reader sees Michael’s everyday life before he quits his job, as well as his time in the US. The reader watches as he struggles to make emotional connections with people, has a string of flings, wantonly spends his money, and as he contemplates the meaning of life.

J. J. Bola’s beautiful prose makes it abundantly clear that he is a poet. The author explores racism, prejudice, intersectional feminism, belonging, grief, feeling invisible, and familial and cultural expectations.

This novel was very close to a five-star read, but my eyes tend to glaze over when topics become overtly philosophical. However, others may get a lot out of the existential musings in this book. And I found that some of the characters were underdeveloped. Although, that may have been purposefully done to show how in his own head Michael was. I’d simply have enjoyed more background on the people in Michael’s life.

This book is rather depressing, so I’d recommend reading it when you’re in the right mindset. It’s not all bleak; it has its moments of hope. The ending made me bawl.

Thank you to Atria / Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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In another emotionally difficult book to read, a man decides to leave everything behind and go travelling. Once he has spent all his money, he will kill himself. The portrait of this man is very different from what one would expect, knowing this intention. Michael Kabongo has been fighting the injustices he sees around him to the best of his ability; but he is getting tired, and one final loss tips the scale towards this tragic, self-prescribed ending.

I really liked the way the chapters that happened before this decision were written in the first person, while the chapters that occurred after this decision were written in the third person. To me it felt like it underlined the disassociation that happened to the protagonist after said final loss.

How the ending came to be isn’t explained, but that in itself is part of the charm of this book. One cannot understand the ending if one hasn’t really tried to empathise with the protagonist. The changes are subtle, and I don’t think I caught them all (or even most of them), but I did see how the hope was slowly rekindling in the midst of the overall despair felt by Michael. This is where, to me, it is most obvious that the author is also a poet.

This is a hard one to rate as it was well-written but I didn't particularly like it.

I needed more background with Michael. Where is all this despair coming from? Was he always like this? I found it hard to connect with his character knowing so little about him. I found it depressing overall, and I didn't understand the use of both the first and third person narratives. It didn't add anything to the story and made it disjointed for me.

The hard no for me was the ending. No resolution; was there some moment that changed everything? I am left feeling confused.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this book had such lovely writing yet I am sad to say I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The book is one of my favourite formats, two timelines BUT we don't know what year each timeline is and I found that a little confusing. The plotline is very absorbing, quite unique and I felt so many things for the main character, Michael. I like how the book ended yet it felt unfinished to me, I wanted to know more about Michael's reasonings. I don't want to say too much because it would be a spoiler but this book had many hits for me and a couple misses.