As the summer heats up, global pop powerhouse Dua Lipa has announced July’s Monthly Read for her “Service95 Book Club.” This month’s focus is “Small Boat” by Vincent Delecroix, translated from the original French by Helen Stevenson. Shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize, the novel is already making waves for its haunting portrayal of a true story – the 2021 drowning of 27 people in the English Channel.
“This book challenged me profoundly,” says Dua. “It moved me, and stayed with me. It’s not an easy read – but as our politics descend into hate-mongering and point-scoring, it’s an essential story that needs to be told.”
“Small Boat” opens with the line “I didn’t ask you to leave” – a chilling refrain that echoes throughout the novel as Delecroix fictionalizes the real-life tragedy. Told through the perspective of a French radio operator who coldly responds to the migrants’ desperate calls for help, the story dives into themes of detachment, moral responsibility, and the consequences of dehumanization.
Lipa explores these topics with Delecroix himself on this month’s episode of “Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa,” the companion podcast to her book club. The episode dives into the novel’s political urgency, the empathy gap in modern society, and how fiction can confront difficult truths. Lipa’s perspective is unique and nuanced. Coming from an immigrant family herself, she’s able to shed light on what it is like to have to leave your home in pursuit of a better life and the harrowing realities and risks of making that decision. The podcast episode also features audio readings from both Delecroix and his translator, plus a curated playlist and a supplemental reading list – all available now at service95.com.
Following the release of her third studio album Radical Optimism—which hit No. 1 in 12 countries – and her headline Glastonbury set, Dua Lipa continues to expand her cultural reach beyond music. The “Service95 Book Club,” which recently celebrated its second anniversary, is just one part of her growing editorial platform. With praise from The Guardian, The Sunday Times, and Vulture, Lipa’s blend of global pop superstardom and sharp literary curiosity has cemented her as one of the most culturally influential voices in music today.
About the Author – Vincent Delecroix:
Delecroix graduated from the École normale supérieure, and agrégé of philosophy and currently teaches at the École Pratique des Hautes Études. He’s decorated with an assortment of awards – he received the Valery Larbaud in 2007 for his novel “Ce qui est perdu” (published in 2006) and the Grand prix de littérature de l’Académie française after he published “Tombeau d’Achille” (2008). ‘Small Boat” was on the long-list of the 2023 Prix Goncourt.
About Dua Lipa:
Dua Lipa is an erudite pop star – she’s a 3x Grammy and 7x BRIT award winner and continues to make impressive strides in the industry with the release of her third album, Radical Optimism. The album went No. 1 in 12 countries, including the U.K. where it became the biggest album debut from a U.K. female artist in 2024. The New York Times named it a Critic’s Pick and hailed it as “an album of nonstop ear candy.” Earlier this summer, Dua Lipa headlined Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage and now her global Radical Optimism Tour is well underway (tour dates and ticket info here), including two shows at Wembley Stadium that sold out immediately, and will continue this fall in North America and Latin America.
For tour information please visit https://www.dualipa.com/tour/.
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