Jacqueline Harpman

A haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic tale of female friendship and intimacy. 'A small miracle' The New York Times 'For a very long time, the days went by, each just like the day before, then I began to think, and everything changed' Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only vague recollection of their lives before. As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl - the fortieth prisoner - sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground. WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY SOPHIE MACKINTOSH, MAN BOOKER PRIZE-LONGLISTED AUTHOR OF THE WATER CURE

I Who Have Never Known Men

Gemma Langella

"In that case, what were man for?" I asked.

amari

Atli 💗🧚🏽‍♀️

I have spent my whole life doing I don’t know what, but it hasn’t made me happy. I have a few drops of blood left, that is the only libation I can offer destiny, which has chosen me.

Death is sometimes so discreet that it steals in noiselessly, stays for only a moment and carries off its prey...

 ‘I was happier when I hadn’t understood anything, when I hated you all because you kept your secrets. You don’t have any. You have nothing.'

I suppose it could be described thus: something exquisite coursed through me, so delicious that it frightened me. I curled up even tighter.

'And you live like this, with your vegetables, with no prospects?’ 

‘Only death,’ she snapped. ‘We can’t commit suicide, but we will still die. We just have to wait.’

The old women were as helpless as the younger ones. They had seized some imaginary power, a power over nothing, a tacit agreement that created a meaningless hierarchy, because there were no privileges that they could grant or refuse. The fact is that we were on an absolutely equal footing.

and then came seventh heaven – my goodness! Given that I’d never seen any sky at all and had no idea what the first heaven or any of the others in between were.

But I didn’t believe them: they nearly all menstruated, and how can you feel privileged not to have something that everyone else has?

Sashi

Sometimes the women pitied me, saying that at least they'd known real life, and I was very jealous of them, but they died, as I am about to die, and what does having lived mean once you are no longer alive?

I have spent my whole life doing I don't know what, but it hasn't made me happy. I have a few drops of blood left, that is the only libation I can offer destiny, which has chosen me.

Then they felt sorry for me, because l'd never experience love, and it was the samne as when they talked about chocolate or the joys of a long, hot bath; I believed them without really being able to imagine what they were talking about.

Sometimes, you can use what you know, but that's not what counts most. I want to know everything there is to know. Not because it's any use, but purely for the pleasure of knowing, and now I demand that you teach me everything you know, even if I’ll never be able to use it.

You have so little idea what it meant to have a destiny that you can't understand what it means to be deprived as we are.

Is there a satisfaction in the effort of remembering that provides its own nourishment, and is what one recollects less important than the act of remembering?

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.

I could have loved myself whether I was hunchbacked or lame, but to be loved by others, you had to be beautiful.

Anastasia Illner

If the only thing that differentiates us from animals is the fact that we hide to defecate, then being human rests on very little, I thought.

sina (she/her) 

If the only thing that differentiates us from animals is the fact that we hide to defecate, then being human rests on very little, I thought. 

Chenay Kamara

as Rachel Weisz once said: "I love women. And I love their company."

Yes, but. I witness so many people holding on to life so tightly and they didn't end up in this book. All the characters were more like me. And the art urge was miniscule. The general feeling was claustrophobia. But I loved it and I love how she stayed true to not knowing. Which, to me, reads like an ultimate truth.

Dora Tominic

Disclaimer: this is not a review.

Yes, but. I witness so many people holding on to life so tightly and they didn't end up in this book. All the characters were more like me. And the art urge was miniscule. The general feeling was claustrophobia. But I loved it and I love how she stayed true to not knowing. Which, to me, reads like an ultimate truth.

Truthfully when I started reading this book I was expecting it to be some other wordly dream based on the title (a world without men doesn’t sound so bad) but it turned out to be extremely haunting and actually not a world anyone would like to be in at all. The women were living in an extremely dystopian concentration camp-esque cage but the fate that followed their escape was weirdly even more despondent. I enjoyed the changing relationship of the women and thought the naivety of the narrator was probably the best part, it made her experience feel all the more real. My major critiques: The pacing was too slow for my liking, at one point the plot felt so redundant I wanted to take them out of their misery myself, and the worst of all the open-endness of it all drove me crazy. If you’re a reader who wants an answer, don’t expect it from this one.  

Rana Sulieman

Karmen 

A young woman is kept in a cage underground with thirty-nine other females, guarded by armed men who never speak; her crimes unremembered...if indeed there were crimes. The youngest of forty--a child with no name and no past--she survives for some purpose long forgotten in a world ravaged and wasted. In this reality where intimacy is forbidden--in the unrelenting sameness of the artificial days and nights--she knows nothing of books and time, of needs and feelings. Then everything changes...and nothing changes. A young woman who has never known men--a child who knows of no history before the bars and restraints--must now reinvent herself, piece by piece, in a place she has never been...and in the face of the most challenging and terrifying of unknowns: freedom. A young woman is kept in a cage underground with thirty-nine other females, guarded by armed men who never speak; her crimes unremembered...if indeed there were crimes.The youngest of forty--a child with no name and no past--she survives for some purpose long forgotten in a world ravaged and wasted. In this reality where intimacy is forbidden--in the unrelenting sameness of the artificial days and nights--she knows nothing of books and time, of needs and feelings.Then everything changes...and nothing changes.A young woman who has never known men--a child who knows of no history before the bars and restraints--must now reinvent herself, piece by piece, in a place she has never been...and in the face of the most challenging and terrifying of unknowns: freedom.

I Who Never Known Men

I so desperately wanted to love this book so so much but it isn't until the second half of the book when your interest kicks in with a change in pace of the protagonist and her story. The first part was overly dense and, the pacing felt terrible.

diya

armoni mayes

4.5 stars.

I am still trying to gather my thoughts on this novel, and trying to push past my normal yearning for some kind of plot twist that would explain what happened in the world to put so many men and women into underground bunkers. Because the author did not elaborate on this information I am only to assume that it was not the most important thing to focus on while reading. 

I believe this is an excellent example of what it might be like to grow up in a world when you do not even realize what the ‘world’ means. I can only imagine what our MC would have experienced if not for the other women around her that could remember the past considering she could not recall any of her own memories. 

“I will only be truly dead if nobody ever comes, if the centuries, then the millennia go by for so long that this planet which I no longer believe is Earth, no longer exists. (pg. 184)”

the fact that i'll never find out the truth about what happened to these women will always bother me. but i guess that's the beauty of this book. i became so invested and emotionally attached to it that it left me wanting for more.

lerie

A prize-winning, "womanist" novel--part thriller, part science-fiction fantasy--traces the emotional and sexual awakening of one woman, the youngest of a group imprisoned in a world of men who attempt to dehumanize them. IP.

A Novel

tori 👻

"Perhaps, somewhere, humanity is flourishing under the stars, unaware that a daughter of its blood is ending her days in silence."

isabelle

I absolutely loved how this book felt so organic as it is told from the perspective of someone who has very little knowledge

Very well-written. I loved especially the hints and "spoilers" by the narrator. Would've loved to have the slightest clue about all those mysteries, but I understand how the point is to leave them as that. Maybe a bit slow considering nothing actually happens throughout the whole book.

Ursula K. LeGuin meets The Road in a post-apocalyptic modern classic of female friendship and intimacy.

oh wow okay.. I ACTUALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK…..? which i like (in this case) 

Elisavet Rozaki 

Greer Andersson

5⭐️
My thoughts on this book are so difficult to explain. If you don’t like open-ended books or things not being explained, you probably won’t like this. 

This book is so hauntingly beautiful. It’s bleak, it’s disturbing, it’s sad, it’s straight forward, but it never claims to be anything else. 

At first, the simplicity of the writing irked me a little, but it makes perfect sense when you get to the end of the book. It's just amazing how it makes you feel all at once that so much happened, but at the same time, nothing happened at all.

God I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Read this book right ne-owwww. Yes it will have you crying, and yes, it will have you staring at your wall for 10 minutes in silence.

 by Jacqueline Harpman was a profoundly haunting and alluring journey. I hadn't gone into the novel expecting it to be such a thought-provoking tale. It left an indelible mark on my mind. If it were possible, I would give it 

, because this book occupies my thoughts every single day. It's an addition to my ever-growing 

With its nameless protagonist and powerful portrayal of women, this book surpassed all my expectations. The nameless protagonist serves as a symbol, and she represents the countless women whose voices have been silenced or forgotten. 

Her journey through a mysterious and dystopian world is both engrossing and deeply introspective. Jacqueline Harpman's skillful characterization brings the protagonist to life, making her struggles and triumphs resonate with the reader on a profound level.

The novel's most notable feature is Harpman's decision to forgo conventional chapter breaks. The absence of chapters underlines the absence of clear beginnings or conclusions and elegantly reflects the story's fluid flow. This narrative choice creates a powerful and uninterrupted reading experience—as if you're living through these moments at the same time.

In conclusion, this is a really remarkable and unforgettable novel that challenges a reader's perceptions. It's a must-read for people who seek to be away from reality and be immersed in a world of bizarre reality. A world that leaves you with countless questions, and absolutely no answers. 

Reading "I Who Have Never Known Men" by Jacqueline Harpman was a profoundly haunting and alluring journey. I hadn't gone into the novel expecting it to be such a thought-provoking tale. It left an indelible mark on my mind. If it were possible, I would give it six stars, because this book occupies my thoughts every single day. It's an addition to my ever-growing Roman Empire list. 

The Nameless Protagonist

With its nameless protagonist and powerful portrayal of women, this book surpassed all my expectations. The nameless protagonist serves as a symbol, and she represents the countless women whose voices have been silenced or forgotten. 

Her journey through a mysterious and dystopian world is both engrossing and deeply introspective. Jacqueline Harpman's skillful characterization brings the protagonist to life, making her struggles and triumphs resonate with the reader on a profound level.

The Chapter Divisions

The novel's most notable feature is Harpman's decision to forgo conventional chapter breaks. The absence of chapters underlines the absence of clear beginnings or conclusions and elegantly reflects the story's fluid flow. This narrative choice creates a powerful and uninterrupted reading experience—as if you're living through these moments at the same time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this is a really remarkable and unforgettable novel that challenges a reader's perceptions. It's a must-read for people who seek to be away from reality and be immersed in a world of bizarre reality. A world that leaves you with countless questions, and absolutely no answers. 

Eine schöne Geschichte über Freiheit, Gemeinschaft und Leben ohne Vergangenheit und Zukunft. 

Martin Meyer

Amna A.

"Perhaps I have tried to create time through writing these pages. I begin, I fill them with words, I pile them up, and I still don't exist because nobody is reading them. But if a person comes, they will read them and I will have a time in their mind. They will have my thoughts in them. The reader and I thus mingled will constitute something living."


4.5/5 Short novella (less than 200 pages but story feels heavier) in which the narrator is the youngest of 40 women who were held in a captive in an underground cage surviving on the bare minimum for about 15 years without any clue as to why or what was going on in the outside world. What sets the narrator aside from the rest of the women is that she was too young to remember anything before being captured, thus excluding her from the collective memory of the group and lacking any context of "normal life". Although I'd classify this as a sci-fi/dystopian book, it focuses more on the existentialism of the narrator, and we are kept in the dark about most of what is going on. 
I would have loved some explanation on how or why the wolrd got to that point, but I guess it might have taken away from the haunting ending of the book (example: final season of Lost)

abby .˚｡⋆ ༊ .˚｡⋆

Probably one of the most unique books i’ve ever read. I loved the writing style, and the journey that ms. no name goes on throughout the story. it’s so heartbreaking, and the resilience the main character has is astounding. Could have been a 5 star read for me if the story included more clues or hints to satiate my curiosity, but i guess that’s the whole point, isn’t it? will be thinking abt this book for a long time!!

I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN PEACE SINCE I READ THIS BOOK

In the quiet sorrow of a desolate landscape “I Who Have Never Known Men” searches for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.

This is a haunting and introspective literary experience into a dystopian world where a group of women grapple with confinement in an underground bunker for unknown and mysterious reasons. The nameless narrator, devoid of memories of life beyond the bunker, seeks understanding. Touching on themes of identity and isolation, the story provokes thought on what defines humanity when stripped of its material familiarity and comforts.

Don’t expect for this to be a loud and sensational read, but it’s one that sticks with you for a long time after you’ve finished.

I have so many questions that perhaps will never be answered but maybe that’s the whole point. This made me want to rewatch The Handmaid’s Tale and read the book. 

I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN PEACE SINCE I READ THIS BOOK

In the quiet sorrow of a desolate landscape “I Who Have Never Known Men” searches for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.

This is a haunting and introspective literary experience into a dystopian world where a group of women grapple with confinement in an underground bunker for unknown and mysterious reasons. The nameless narrator, devoid of memories of life beyond the bunker, seeks understanding. Touching on themes of identity and isolation, the story provokes thought on what defines humanity when stripped of its material familiarity and comforts.

Don’t expect for this to be a loud and sensational read, but it’s one that sticks with you for a long time after you’ve finished.

I have so many questions that perhaps will never be answered but maybe that’s the whole point. This made me want to rewatch The Handmaid’s Tale and read the book. 

the last line of this book goes crazy!!! 

i really like harpman's prose because it read to me like it reflected the learnings of our nameless main character. it was beautiful to see these women's relationships develop over the course of the book, from isolating our young narrator to treating her like a daughter. the experiences of our narrator after the last woman passed away were so sorrowful — i could relate to her feelings of loneliness, but of course, my own could never be of the same degree.

the last line of this book goes crazy!!! 

i really like harpman's prose because it read to me like it reflected the learnings of our nameless main character. it was beautiful to see these women's relationships develop over the course of the book, from isolating our young narrator to treating her like a daughter. the experiences of our narrator after the last woman passed away were so sorrowful — i could relate to her feelings of loneliness, but of course, my own could never be of the same degree.

“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.”

Lili V Guba

“My memory begins with anger.”

“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.”

Qonita

This book is a quiet and haunting story that ponders upon what it means to be human from a very unusual POV in a very unusual situation. There are many types of 5/5 books. This is not a banging OMGG SERU BGT!!! kind but one that creeps into multiple soft spots of mine at once and ensnares me with both hope and wariness for the characters' surreal adventures. 

In The Day of The Triffids, there's this one scene when the main character drives alone on a wide empty field. This was sometimes after the point of apocalypse. It was quiet. There was no single people in sight for an extended silent moment in the narrative and I was wrapped with an eerie secondhand lonesomeness of being possibly one of the last people left in the world. There aren't many things that evoke this semblance of complete loneliness for me, the other being Laika, the first dog to be sent and die in space, Major Tom who's losing contact with Ground Control, and reading about the last surviving creatures of their extinct species. This book brings a more chronic ache to that table which lasts for the whole book instead of just one scene/song/short graphic novel/Wikipedia page. 
 
The main character is such an alien to me. She was born and brought up in a completely different world and responds to her situation accordingly. The contrast between what she could do, and what she's conditioned to feel or not to feel is a study of the common sense we take for granted. It's a study on being human I dare say. Though a bit outlandish, I do understand her and I always have a special place for characters that I get to follow from a young age to the end of their life. This book is not very thick and not every character is as fleshed out. However, all of their struggles felt very personal and intimate. I ended up feeling very close to at least our nameless main girl, the youngest, the dependable, the builder, the pillar, the inheritor, the executor, and the last life breathing of that world.

I feel so lucky to come across this book and it means so much to me now.

I gave this 3.5 but i’m coming back to give it a 4 because it’s been a few weeks and I still can’t stop thinking about it 

Laura Layden

heartwrenching, beautiful. 💖 

I gave this 3.5 but i’m coming back to give it a 4 because it’s been a few weeks and I still can’t stop thinking about it 

Quite frankly one of the most beautifully-written, and saddening books I have ever read. 

‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ is a brilliant reflection on humanity, curiosity, and the meaning of life. It’s quite possibly one of the most bleak books I’ve come across, and it will stay with me forever. 

Short in its 187 pages, but it certainly packs a punch. I thought the characters were vivid and well developed. For a book void of genre, of time period, of country, of reality we know, it was SO descriptive. I felt myself deeply relating to the protagonist, that I was desperately turning pages trying to find the same answers she was. 

There were answers I would have perhaps liked answering by the book that weren’t, but I think that was the whole point of the book.

Think this will be one of my favourite reads of 2024! 

Robyn Claridge

Quite frankly one of the most beautifully-written, and saddening books I have ever read. 

‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ is a brilliant reflection on humanity, curiosity, and the meaning of life. It’s quite possibly one of the most bleak books I’ve come across, and it will stay with me forever. 

Short in its 187 pages, but it certainly packs a punch. I thought the characters were vivid and well developed. For a book void of genre, of time period, of country, of reality we know, it was SO descriptive. I felt myself deeply relating to the protagonist, that I was desperately turning pages trying to find the same answers she was. 

There were answers I would have perhaps liked answering by the book that weren’t, but I think that was the whole point of the book.

Think this will be one of my favourite reads of 2024! 

I Who Have Never Known Men

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