Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Yo que nunca supe de los hombres

I have mixed feelings on this one. As much as I enjoyed reading it, I don't know that I necessarily liked it. Possibly because it was so depressing. However, it was one of the most unique books I have ever read and I know I will think about it for years to come. I would have rated it higher, but I am disappointed by the lack of background and context for the situation of the women.

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neliadiedenise's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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avasreads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN
JACQUELINE HARPMAN

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/5

wow. wow wow wow. this book is incredible. go read it.

jacqueline harpman's 'i who have never known men' follows a young woman, one of 40 locked in a cage underground, with no recollection of how or why they got there. without warning, or explanation, they are released, and have to navigate a world from which they were cut off from for so long.

i picked this one up randomly at a WHSmiths in a london train station last autumn, and has been sitting in my tbr since then. i am now kicking myself that i didn't pick it up sooner.

this isn't your typical action-packed dystopian fiction with a stereotypical epic, strong, powerful female protagonist. it's quiet, and, at its core, a bleak study of what it is like to be human, and what happens when we strip everything back. it is a character study, and a genius one at that. answers are not necessary; it is open-ended and unassuming. the readers make up their own mind, and forge their own connections and opinions about the plot and characters with what little information we are given.

there is not an ounce of happiness present in this book, but you still feel an overwhelming sense of hope. the narrator is unnamed, free from human corruption and a blank slate. we lack context, a satisfactory beginning and a conclusion. this leaves so much to the imagination and it's perfect.

this is a bleak but powerful tale of a young woman's fight for survival. it is sad. it is melancholic. it is science fiction at its very best. 'genre-defying' is possibly the best description for this book.

andrew wyeth's 1948 painting 'christina's world' was at the back of my mind the entire time. one of my favourite paintings with one of my new favourite books.

i don't think i can say too much more. go read it!!

(instagram: @avareads)

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jesssicawho's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Existential, but not necessarily dread.

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ssamdaly's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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fionag's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I’m not sure how a book can be so bleak and yet so hopeful. I absolutely flew through this novel as the writing is so beautiful, even when Harpman is writing about heartbreaking things. I really recommend the audio read by Sarah Lambie, as her performance is excellent. You will not find answers to your questions or why these things happened to these women, but instead you are given a lyrical and contemplative reflection on aging, sisterhood, survival, and going on. I don’t know if you can say you necessarily enjoy a book with so much sorrow, but I cannot stop thinking about it

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laphie's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad

5.0

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