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

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I Who Have Never Known Men is a character-driven dystopian novel full of ambiguity. Readers are allowed just as much knowledge of the women's circumstances as they themselves have access to. The narrator is a teenager, the youngest of the entire group. Unable to remember her life before the bunker, the narrator is frustrated with the other women's desire for pre-imprisonment comforts.

I can't summarize much more about this novel without giving away portions of the plot. What I will say is that Harpman's unnamed narrator and her associates are all incredibly true to life. I was fully engrossed by their lives - despite the ambiguity and mystery surrounding their circumstances. I Who Have Never Known Men is a truly fantastic addition to the dystopian canon and I will be thinking about it for a very long time!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings