Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. The weather is beautiful where I live and I have some extended time off so I am going to finish off some novellas that have been sitting in my TBR pile for some time. I continue to pile on to my book pile because I am unable to excersize any self-control in a book store. I am also fully expecting to get a few more books for my birthday next month, but that is exactly what I want. Anway, this particuar novella has been making the rounds in recommended reading so it’s time for me to talk about I Who Have Never Known Men.

Content Warning: Some Disturbing Imagery, Grief and Mourning

For seemingly no reason, thirty-nine women have been locked in an underground prison. None of them can entirely remember how they got there or what their lives were before they were imprisoned. The fortieth prisoner, a young girl, is shunned by her fellow prisoners. One day, for seemingly no reason, the guards flee from the prison and the women are able to escape. They realize that the young girl is their key to survival and their only hope in the strange world that awaits them.

I can see this book becoming a staple in literature classes in the near future. I Who Have Never Known Men is a tense, existential novella that asks broad questions about humanity, civilization, and gender. It is also a story of survival, friendship, and perserverance. Harpman keeps the reasons behind the circumstances for this novel frustratingly ambiguous, but that is one of the more compelling elements of this novella. There is plenty to speculate about and theorize, but we are ultimately left with a fascinating mystery. I don’t want to say too much because this is a book worth experiencing for oneself. You should definitely consider picking up I Who Have Never Known Men for your summer reading pile.