Open - An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy

"When Rachel Krantz met and fell for Jacob, he told her that he was looking to make a commitment--one that did not include exclusivity. Both anxious and excited at the prospect of a different way to commit, Krantz entered a relationship built equally on love and liberation. And as an inveterate journalist and writer of extraordinary perceptiveness and emotional nuance, she not only put her heart on the line, but kept painstakingly detailed notes, interviewed other couples, and relentlessly interrogated her own emotions as she went down the rabbit hole of non-monogamy. What results is a unique combination of memoir and immersion journalism that reads like sexy, page-turning fiction and casts an unflinching eye on non-monogamy, from the debilitating jealousy and anxiety spirals to the heart-opening connections and exhilarating eroticism. As she and Jacob attempt to rewrite the way love works, she runs up against power and gender dynamics either written by biology or engrained by culture--and must repeatedly face the question, is Jacob her liberator or her manipulator? Krantz fearlessly takes us inside both her interior and intimate moments as she also interviews experts and tells the stories of other couples who have created a range of relationship styles to fit their desires. Non-monogamy is the way into universal questions about love and happiness, which Krantz confronts with probing analysis and incredible candor: Can a person have both freedom and love? How do we reconcile closeness and lust? How can men and women achieve equality in relationships? What does it mean to trust someone? Can you love without jealousy? And, ultimately, is the pleasure worth the pain?"--

About the author

Rachel Krantz

Summary

An award-winning journalist chronicles her first open relationship with “breathtaking honesty” (Los Angeles Times) in this “sexy, messy, necessary look at polyamory” (The Advocate).

FINALIST FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Them
 
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 monogamy. Intrigued and more than a little nervous, Krantz decided to see whether their love could 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 each other once the honeymoon phase ended?
 
Krantz documents her dive into polyamory, from Brooklyn sex parties to swinging and beyond, in her extraordinary debut memoir. As she attempts to write a new plot for her love story with Adam, she runs up against miscommunications, gaslighting, and ancient power dynamics, and seeks solid ground in a relationship where the rules are ever-shifting. An award-winning journalist, she interviewed scientists, psychologists, and people living and loving outside the mainstream as she searched to understand what polyamory would do to her heart, her mind, and her life. 

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.

Additional text

“Open is a smart, original, ambitious, and deeply absorbing memoir, in part because Krantz wants no less than to help us rethink the concepts of love, sex, and power as we know them. She succeeds by bringing us deftly and irresistibly into her most intimate pains and joys, stretching our understanding of what commitment and autonomy mean.”—Dr. Wednesday Martin, author of Untrue and Primates of Park Avenue

“Don’t look for easy answers in Rachel Krantz’s thrilling meditation-cum-memoir, Open, in which the political gets very personal indeed. Seamlessly shifting from a critique of evolutionary biology to the first touch of his hand on her thigh, this polyamorous coming-of-age story crackles with equal parts erotic energy and searching commentary. A perfect guide to our new world, the only problem I had picking up this book was putting it back down. Open compels, entertains, and may ultimately transform its readers.” —Terrence Real, bestselling author of Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship and The New Rules of Marriage

“Krantz offers an unflinchingly honest account of the highs and lows of non-monogamous relationships, beautifully illustrating the ways that opening up one’s relationship can offer tremendous freedom and painful imprisonment—sometimes at the same time. Open is a necessary addition to the canon of intimate memoirs, one I desperately wish I’d had access to when I was coming of age. It’s a must-read for anyone navigating sex, love, and dating in the twenty-first century.” —Lux Alptraum, author of Faking It: The Lies Women Tell About Sex —And the Truths They Reveal

“I stayed up all night reading this book, and when I was done, I felt I’d lived another life. A propulsive and fascinating look at sex, desire, and intimacy, Open investigates what we hope for from our romantic partners and how eschewing conventions might help us attain those things—and the pitfalls we might face if we choose a less traditional path. Krantz writes with insight and humor about her personal introduction to non-monogamy, using reportage to broaden the scope to others’ experiences with trying to balance sexual and romantic freedom and commitment. A page-turner that explores the urgent question of what it means to try to understand and then to express our desires, Open is a true pleasure.”—Cara Blue Adams, author of You Never Get It Back

“In her frank, evocative memoir, Rachel Krantz delves into a complicated past and looks long—and in blush-inducing detail—at the relationship that brought her into non-monogamy. This book searches for the truth and rejects easy answers. Open is a feat of tremendous candor and vulnerability, and to call it unputdownable would be an understatement.” —Liv Stratman, author of Cheat Day

“Titillating . . . Krantz sweeps readers into a narrative that seduces and educates in equal measure . . . [Open] offers an alluring and insightful look at a life lived outside of conventional structures.”—Publishers Weekly

Product details

• Authors: Rachel Krantz
• Publisher: Harmony
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.01.2022
• EAN: 9780593139554
• ISBN: 978-0-593-13955-4
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 164 mm x 239 mm x 33 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Guides > Self-help, everyday life > Partnership, sexuality