ceemast 's review for:

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

---

Solidly good and entertaining book, rife with opportunities for discussion/debate/etc. I almost feel like I read this one TOO quickly. I zoomed through the easy-to-read prose, always gripped by the possibility of what might happen next. Since I read the brief author’s bio on the back, I kept thinking of the parallels between WWII concentration camps and the prisons of this book’s world. Similarly, the idea of someone growing up in world wholly disconnected from society and “normalcy” and how someone adapts to those circumstances feels reminiscent of young people who were born into or grew up in a concentration camp. I like the fact that

the questions plaguing the characters in the book never got answered and we, as readers, were taken on a similarly confusing and enthralling journey along with the main character.