Hey Bookworms, it’s finally time for a new review! I Who Have Never Known Men helped me overcome a reading slump and I’m so happy. I picked this up because one of my favourite Booktubers, Emily Fox from BookswithEmilyFox sings its praises constantly therefore I decided to give it a shot.
About I Who Have Never Known Men
Author: Jacqueline Harpman
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Dystopian, Speculative Fiction
Publisher: Transit Books
Format Read: Physical
Year Published: 1995
Standalone
Translated By: Ros Schwartz
Cover Artist: Couldn’t Find Info
Synopsis
Thirty-nine women and one child live imprisoned in a cage. They have no clue where they are or how they got there but the women all remember their lives before. As the young girl grows up, she feels increasingly excluded; all her memories are of her existence in captivity. Her curiosity will soon transform her into the key to escape and survive in the strange reality they find themselves in.
Pace: Slow, Character-Driven
Tone: Bleak, Introspective
My Review
This dystopian sci-fi is told in a past-tense first-person narration, as our nameless MC relates her life’s story. This structure is effective because we know from the beginning that certain things will happen but we do not yet know how they will come about. This way the reader gets to experience her story in the context of what she’s learned since the events happened (and everything she hasn’t learned). It’s not a spoiler to say that we won’t get answers to many mysteries here; the text makes it clear very early on. So if you’re the type of reader who needs explanations and no loose ends: LOOK AWAY!😂
However, if you’re the type of reader who can revel in the discomfort of not knowing: this one is for you and oh boy you’re in for a ride! The unknown plays a huge role in creating the tension in this novella, as does the fact that there are no chapters. It adds to the sense of despair that is felt so vividly. Our characters have no idea why they’ve been imprisoned or where they are. They have no sense of time. When they find themselves suddenly freed, they are terrified and ill-equipped. Luckily, the MC’s desire to learn more galvanizes her into organizing their survival.
“…I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering and that I was human after all.”
The Girl, as she is known, is captivating to follow and a clever device used by the author because as she’s the youngest one she has not been taught anything and she’s unfamiliar with societal norms; all she has known is the absurd. This leaves The Girl feeling frustrated and like an outcast among the prisoners. She can’t relate to the women and is hungry to learn everything she can to feel human and here we arrive at the whole point of this book.
How do humans cope with the futility of life?
Can they find hope even in seemingly hopeless situations?
Are they able to experience love despite having lost so much?
And how can someone draw meaning out of life when they have no frame of reference for anything?
These are all questions that are breathtakingly explored in this book.
“I’d been their clock: watching me, the women watched their own time tick by.”
If I had any complaints, I would have liked to get to know some of the women better. Personally, I would have loved to experience some of the story through The Girl’s closest companion, Anthea. I know very well that everything Harpman did in this novella is extremely purposeful and I think she achieved the desired effect perfectly so it’s not a real complaint but I liked Anthea a lot.
Final Thoughts on I Who Have Never Known Men
I finished this book feeling unmoored; I had so many contrasting feelings. It left me with an unexpected appreciation for how we take knowledge for granted and for the ways it can be lost if we don’t share it. It is also the bleakest thing I have ever read so I needed a moment to process it all. And yet the very next day I found myself smiling from ear to ear as I told my friend how Very Bleak™ this book is because I loved it so much. It helps that it’s also beautiful and always carries an undercurrent of hope amongst all that gloom.
| CAWPILE | Rating (0-10) |
|---|---|
| Characters | 9 |
| Atmosphere | 9 |
| Writing Style | 9 |
| Plot | 7 |
| Intrigue | 10 |
| Logic | 9 |
| Enjoyment | 10 |
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mass death,
Suicide & suicidal thoughts, Gore, Body Horror,
Murder, Grief, Psychic Trauma, Self-harm
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, Injuries, Emotional Abuse,
Physical Abuse, Violence, Torture, Isolation,
Depression
Minor (Mention): Drug & alcohol, Sexual Content
Let’s chat in the comments!
Do you enjoy post-apocalyptic books? Did I convince you to pick this one up?
This sounds deeply disturbing, but I’m glad you got something out of it!
It absolutely is disturbing on so many levels and I actually don’t tend to pick up that type of book but I would recommend it if you can stomach it, it really ponders a lot of wonderful themes and it’s compulsively readable. Thank you 🙂
I hadn’t heard of this before but I’ve enjoyed the dystopian novels that I’ve read so I’d definitely be curious to read it. Sometimes the bleakest stories can be the most powerful. Although I remember how hollowed out I felt after finishing Mockingjay and that was due to how bleak things constantly felt towards the ending.
Yeah “hollowed out” is a good description on how I felt after this one too but also strangely hopeful. I remember Mockingjay also hit me hard when I read it. So while I do heartily recommend this one, I do think it’s a heavy read.
At least it’s got that hopeful side to it too. Being able to accomplish both simultaneously is quite a feet. I’ll make sure I’m in the right mindset whenever I pick it up.
I agree it’s very impressive. Yeah for sure that’s a good idea 🙂
I read this at Easter and it is one of the books in my backlog of reviews. I loved it! As you said, very bleak, but also so much more. And such a clever way to dig into the themes in the book. It left me thinking for ages about the book and I have recommended it to my in person bookclub since then.
I like that we didn’t get answers, even though I would have loved to know some of them. I think it would have detracted from the point of the story if we had been given them.
I flagged that first quote too.
Ah well then I can’t wait until you publish your review! Yes, so much more than just bleakness, it’s so well done! Great idea because it’s a perfect book to read in a book club, there’s so much to dig into. It’s certainly one that will stay with me for a long time 🙂 Haha I agree, I would have loved some answers but I wasn’t upset at the ending because it made sense within the context of the situation and yes it would have invalided the message of the book. Nice! It’s also so quotable, I copied down a lot of them haha.