A proven chronicler of her own desire, Febos changes tack here, charting a year of celibacy . . . a queer slant adds freshness, while the frisson between the topic's supposed austerity and the pleasure afforded by such candid prose makes it all the more compelling * * Observer * * [ An] interesting, often witty work . . . Refreshing * * Sunday Times * * Melissa Febos has a taste for extremes. Her new book, The Dry Season, chronicles a bold experiment in her search for self-knowledge . . . Throughout, she posed a potentially radical question: What if all that a woman needs to be happy is herself? * * New York Times * * Reading The Dry Season is like having a nourishing conversation with a smart, wry and ever-probing friend - a conversation so full of wisdom and pleasure that you don't want it to end. The example of Febos's commitment throughout these pages is inspiring and rare; we're lucky and better off for it -- MAGGIE NELSON, author of THE ARGONAUTS Beautiful . . . One of the most interesting parts of the book is reading about how celibacy, for women throughout history, has been this pathway for freedom of thought -- EMILY RATAJKOWSKI Much talked about * * The Times * * The Dry Season is a brilliant and powerful meditation upon addiction, desire, seduction and the undervalued (and all-too-unexplored) power of a woman laying claim to a period of celibacy [ . . . ]. Febos is both unflinching and compassionate. A deeply important book, I saw myself and many women whom I love and admire on every page -- ELIZABETH GILBERT, author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE More than a memoir of celibacy, this is a meditation on the courage to withdraw from a life you're no longer happy living. It asserts abstinence as a form of ecstatic liberation and sets out the moral duty we each owe ourselves: to reclaim our inner peace, again and again, and then to reflect it outwards -- ABIGAIL BERGSTROM * * Stylist * * Only Melissa Febos could convince us of the ecstasy of abstinence. She never fails in her candour and precision -- KATHERINE MAY, author of WINTERING As a queer memoirist, Febos provides a sorely needed perspective on the cultural trope of the "incel," presenting instead a model for celibacy that is self-guided rather than socially imposed and compassionate rather than punitive; this book should be required reading for anyone who's ever been told to "just take a break" from relationships * * Vogue * *
