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

inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This novel leaves you in goosebumps, staring in the distance, wondering why you haven’t read it sooner.

I could perhaps describe it as a distant cousin of The Handmaid’s Tale, but perhaps they are similar in only the female-centred dystopian universe. I devoured it in a couple days, only because of work, otherwise I’d have finished it in a day. It’s the type of novel you can’t physically put down and you binge it in one go.

It’s wonderfully written; it makes you appreciate your everyday mundane objects and habits. It surprised me over and over, but not with your generic ‘plot twists’, but rather elegantly and realistically (as realistic as possible in a dystopian novel!).

A wonderful short novel that would be worthy of considered a classic; it’s a must read.