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

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

It had been a while since I had read a dystopian novel, and I was excited to read this one. I Who Have Never Known Men follows forty women held captive in a cage, with no memory of how they got there (or why), as seen through the eyes of the youngest among them–a protagonist raised without societal norms, culture, or inherited knowledge. This is fascinating and, throughout the story, invites reflection on womanhood, relationships, and the nature of freedom.

This book gripped me, and I found the protagonist’s perspective compelling. Her worldview offers a fresh lens on topics like love, mortality, and connection. 

"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."

But no book is perfect, and this one’s execution is a bit weak. It overuses exclamation marks to show the characters’ excitement, which ends up feeling repetitive and cheap. The narrative also lacks a climatic turning point, leaving the third act underwhelming.  

The title is an odd choice, too, as the story barely touches on men or the protagonist’s thoughts about them, making it feel disconnected from the book’s actual themes. 

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed this read a lot. It’s an intriguing and thought-provoking exploration of identity and what it means to exist without the constructs of society.

What stayed with me: The stark exploration of what it means to exist without societal constructs is haunting and thought-provoking. It left me questioning how much of who we are is shaped by the world around us. More than just a dystopian story, it’s a meditation on humanity stripped down to its essence.