An unprecedented exploration of polyamory and gaslighting,
from an award-winning journalist chronicling her first open
relationship with unflinching candor as she explores this
fast-growing movement
“[A] sincere
and curious reckoning with the cultural messaging we all receive
about gendered expectations and power dynamics in romantic and sexual
relationships.”—NPR
ONE OF THE BEST
BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Them
Can we have both
freedom and love? Comfort and lust? Is a relationship ever equal? And
is the pleasure worth the pain?
When
Rachel Krantz met and fell for Adam, he told her that he was looking
for a committed partnership—just one that did not include
exclusivity. Intrigued and more than a little nervous, Rachel decided
to see whether their love could be open and coexist with the freedom
to date other people. Could they strike an exquisite balance between
intimacy and independence, and find a way to feel passion for one
another once the honeymoon phase ended?
For
Open,
her extraordinary debut memoir, Rachel interviewed scientists,
psychologists, and people living and loving outside the mainstream as
she searched to understand what non-monogamy would do to her heart,
her mind, and her life. From exploring Brooklyn sex parties to the
wider swinger and polyamory communities, Rachel and Adam attempt to
write a new plot for their love story. But as the miscommunications
and power imbalances mount, Rachel finds herself anxious, emotionally
isolated, and seeking solid ground in a relationship where the rules
seem to be ever-shifting. In Open,
Rachel casts new light on the unique ways coercion and gaslighting
manifest in open relationships, and finds herself wondering what
liberation really looks like.
With
an unflinching eye and page-turning storytelling, Open
is groundbreaking in both its documentarian approach to polyamory and
its explicit subject matter. From debilitating anxiety spirals to
heart-opening connections with the men and women she dates, Rachel
puts her whole self on the line as she attempts to redefine what a
relationship is—or could be.