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

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I loved the introspective nature of the book with such a unique perspective from the narrator. I feel I could reread this a few times and glimpse new little sparks of meaning. It’s not often we get to imagine what we’d do with ourselves without any real “purpose” to guide us, as that’s so often our obsession as humans. While the concept is scary, I found comfort in the familiar ways women work together to handle grief and difficulty. I also found peace in the narrator’s self-sufficiency and never-ending curiosity. This book is not supposed to be about what caused their situation. It was clear from early on that we wouldn’t know. From my perspective, it was about how the women handled it and the stark contrast in the narrator’s open view of life versus the women who remembered their original purpose.
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