You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Reviews tagging 'Addiction'
The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex by Melissa Febos
4 reviews
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment
Minor: Eating disorder
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I received this as an E-ARC on NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher!
Melissa's writing remains invigorating to me, even though I so often take my time with her books. I've seen a few mentions or even critiques that Febos does not delve into the political so much, but frankly I disagree. In my opinion, much of her memoirs live well within these political structures and societal values, but are much less interested in the theories that explain them so much as they are deeply invested in how to live within them. Or in this book's case how to divest from them, and what that means for yourself and your life in the long run. It is not a perspective I am completely used to, so it is one I am greatly interested in. While I don't think I've read enough Butler to be qualified to say this, this is an aspect that reminds me of her writing as well. Both utilize the political as a catalyst for the personal and the erotic, though with obviously differing intentions.
Now having completed the book, I can see the way it builds continuously upon her previous work. If you're just starting out with Febos's work, I would never argue against starting wherever you wanted in her bibliography, but I think your understanding and connection with this book is heightened if you've read her other work (especially abandon me, and perhaps girlhood, in shades). I can understand why this book's subject, finding sensuality in celibacy may seem to some as trite, cliched, or even anti-sex, but I don't think it is at all. Celibacy is her route of discovery in this book, but it is the discovery that resonates throughout. Part I is perhaps the most scattered in terms of ideas and topics. There is no sugar coating, but frequent self denial and human ignorance. You make sense of the book as the book begins to make sense of itself, with the payoffs in Parts II and III being well worth the journey.
Febos moves through the story of ancient female mystics, erotic obsessed authors, feminist activists and more as she tries to make sense of the her underlying instincts, and the patterns of her life. This is a hard book to sum up in my own words, so I'll use hers: "I am doing the same thing here: building a linear narrative, grafting other stories onto it, folding time to see the patterns. If I suggest a single meaning it will be a lie."
Melissa's writing remains invigorating to me, even though I so often take my time with her books. I've seen a few mentions or even critiques that Febos does not delve into the political so much, but frankly I disagree. In my opinion, much of her memoirs live well within these political structures and societal values, but are much less interested in the theories that explain them so much as they are deeply invested in how to live within them. Or in this book's case how to divest from them, and what that means for yourself and your life in the long run. It is not a perspective I am completely used to, so it is one I am greatly interested in. While I don't think I've read enough Butler to be qualified to say this, this is an aspect that reminds me of her writing as well. Both utilize the political as a catalyst for the personal and the erotic, though with obviously differing intentions.
Now having completed the book, I can see the way it builds continuously upon her previous work. If you're just starting out with Febos's work, I would never argue against starting wherever you wanted in her bibliography, but I think your understanding and connection with this book is heightened if you've read her other work (especially abandon me, and perhaps girlhood, in shades). I can understand why this book's subject, finding sensuality in celibacy may seem to some as trite, cliched, or even anti-sex, but I don't think it is at all. Celibacy is her route of discovery in this book, but it is the discovery that resonates throughout. Part I is perhaps the most scattered in terms of ideas and topics. There is no sugar coating, but frequent self denial and human ignorance. You make sense of the book as the book begins to make sense of itself, with the payoffs in Parts II and III being well worth the journey.
Febos moves through the story of ancient female mystics, erotic obsessed authors, feminist activists and more as she tries to make sense of the her underlying instincts, and the patterns of her life. This is a hard book to sum up in my own words, so I'll use hers: "I am doing the same thing here: building a linear narrative, grafting other stories onto it, folding time to see the patterns. If I suggest a single meaning it will be a lie."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Thanks to AA Knopf for the free copy of this book.
- In THE DRY SEASON, Febos combines her personal journey with the stories of women throughout history, both celibate and relationship-driven. It gave me new context for the history of women taking control of their own bodies and lives.
- I am unequipped to talk about the beauty of Febos’ writing. She has such a gift for words, and I found myself counting down time until I could pick up the again.
- I know this is a book about being voluntarily celibate, but it felt strange to me to never discuss asexuality and aromanticism. Febos talks at length about how she has more brain space available for creativity, about how she suddenly notices how every movie is about romantic relationships, and she even reads Octavia Butler’s journals about not wanting to be bothered with relationships, and...nothing. Only a throwaway line about her many “asexual friendships” with women.
- In THE DRY SEASON, Febos combines her personal journey with the stories of women throughout history, both celibate and relationship-driven. It gave me new context for the history of women taking control of their own bodies and lives.
- I am unequipped to talk about the beauty of Febos’ writing. She has such a gift for words, and I found myself counting down time until I could pick up the again.
- I know this is a book about being voluntarily celibate, but it felt strange to me to never discuss asexuality and aromanticism. Febos talks at length about how she has more brain space available for creativity, about how she suddenly notices how every movie is about romantic relationships, and she even reads Octavia Butler’s journals about not wanting to be bothered with relationships, and...nothing. Only a throwaway line about her many “asexual friendships” with women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol, Sexual harassment