A review by paperbaacks
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

“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 think this is one of those books that only specific people would like—an acquired taste. even then i didn't hate it, it was just... so bleak.

i understand the necessity of the bleakness and the disquieting emptiness, but sometimes a story needs to be a short story and not a full length novel/novella. i who have never known men felt like one of those books.

even then i fully understand why so many people love it and gave it five stars—the story is so unique, the narrator is a mystery in and of itself. she is as much a character as she is a literary device. there are moments in the book that are harrowing, and hopeless, and sad. the story itself and engaging too.

ultimately, i think it frustrated me so much to not solve the mystery. we know just as much as the narrator, until the very end. it's completely a personal preference, but for the most part, this one didn't work that well for me :/