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

3.75

A despondent, hauntingly isolated and thoughtful story that is also frustratingly, tediously devoid of answers and is only saved by the excellent writing and the fact I listened to it as an audiboook (don’t think I could have gotten through it in physical format). An unnamed girl is the only child raised in an underground bunker with 39 woman, all of whom have no knowledge of why they are there, forbidden to touch, and monitored by guards who do not speak to them. The story is original, the central puzzle captivating, and the writing is excellent (especially considering it was translated from French) - the prose is cool, steady, and clear, both vividly descriptive but also alarmingly sparse as there is almost nothing to describe. It does seem the lack of answers and the very isolated, desolate, bleak tone is part of tbe book’s messaging - but as someone who craves answers and doesn’t care too much for philosophical stories, it was hard to stay interested after the first half. There are some very interesting questions posed on humanity - who are we when raised in isolation? Is what makes us human the fact that we have other humans to interact to, speak to, motivate and measure our behaviours? It could be worth a read for the more philosophically minded and there are some notable quotes - but it is pretty bleak and boring, and ultimately not even the beautiful writing could prevent the 2.5x speed at the end…