'Brilliant and powerful' ELIZABETH GILBERT
'So full of wisdom and pleasure that you don't want it to end' MAGGIE NELSON
'Only Melissa Febos could convince us of the ecstasy of abstinence' KATHERINE MAY

A Vogue, TIME and Vulture 'most anticipated' book of 2025

In the wake of a disastrous two-year relationship, Melissa Febos decided to take a break - for three months she would abstain from dating, relationships and sex. Her friends were amused. Did she really think three months was a long time? But to Melissa, it was. Ever since her teens, she had been in one relationship or another. It was time to focus on herself and examine the lifelong patterns that had got her to this point. When those three months ended, she decided to extend her celibate period, fearing that she had not yet gained the clarity she was searching for. She knew she was taking on a challenge but had no idea that this year would become the most fulfilling and sensual of her life.

No longer defined by her romantic pursuits, Melissa learned to relish the delights of solitude, the thrill of living on her own terms, the pleasures unmediated by lovers and the freedom to pursue her ideals without distraction or guilt. She began to see her life and her self-worth in a radical new way. Her year of divestment transformed her relationships with friends and peers, her work, creativity - and most of all her relationship to herself.

The Dry Season is a memoir of Melissa's year of celibacy, and a profound exploration of independence, sexuality and deep self-knowledge.

"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 *

"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 *

"Mixing personal narrative with cultural criticism, the author of Girlhood explores how celibacy radicalized her, giving her permission to put all of her focus on herself, her work and the platonic relationships that deserved more of her attention" - * TIME *

"[The Dry Season] reveals Febos at her sharpest as she chronicles the year she spent celibate . . . As much as it's a book about celibacy, it is also a book about recovery and attention. Who does a person become when they cede their life to infatuation? And how does one return to the things they most love after losing a lover?" - * Vulture *