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

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

this book is less so a study of dehumanization, than one of rehumanization. we follow a main character with no name as she attempts to grapple with innately human things: love, autonomy, and death. This novel reads completely different knowing the author to have escaped the holocaust. The bunkers mirror concentration camps, and the endless questioning of “why,” and “why me” are likely those the author lived with after seeing herself escape such endless devastation & cruelty. Every detail of this book is either a symbol of the narrator’s learning to be human, or a demonstration that she will always be one step away from it due to her experiences. 
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