An examination of the solitude, freedoms, and feminist heroes she discovered during a year of celibacy and a thoughtful look at relationships and self-knowledge.
When Febos stops looking through the keyhole and turns around, she finds that being single feels like anything but a dry season; it’s the most emotionally and spiritually fertile time of her life ... I want to believe this is enough: that if you’re intentional, you can be someone’s partner without losing any of yourself. I’m not sure I do ... Thoughtfully argued.
Febos is far from the first woman to have pledged celibacy, and she structures her memoir round stories of those who came before her ... Less welcome, though, are the metaphors ... Becomes too theoretical ... However, in the dating apps era when the taunting promise of romance is ever present, it’s always refreshing to read about someone who turns away.
Febos has written beautifully, brilliantly about her body, mind and that divine light we call, perhaps too simply, the spirit. Her personal narratives about obsession, sex, romance, addiction, art-making and the pressures placed on female bodies are written with candor, brio and compassion for herself and others ... The Dry Season is Febos’ most triumphant book to date ... An exciting chapter in Febos’ story, both for the ways her work continues to grow and for the elation we feel for her liberation.
