First published 2026
After a catastrophic relationship ends, Melissa Febos makes a radical decision. She will spend an entire year without dating or sex. For someone who has moved from one relationship to the next since adolescence, this abstinence represents a complete departure from her normal life. During her dry season, Febos discovers how solitude transforms her understanding of love and desire. She enters into conversation with women throughout history, from Sappho to Hildegard von Bingen to Virginia Woolf, seeking wisdom about maintaining selfhood within romantic love. Through this year of intentional isolation, she grapples with fundamental questions about passion and identity. The experience forces her to confront how she has previously lost herself in love and to reimagine what healthy desire might look like. This personal and intelligent exploration reveals how stepping away from romance can paradoxically deepen one's capacity for authentic connection.
Genres: gender-studies, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-growth, self-reflection
Period: 21st Century
288 pages · Paperback · Vintage