Audiobook Review: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Author: Jacqueline Harpman

Narrator: Nikki Massoud
Title: I Who Have Never Known Men

Genre: Dystopia, SciFi, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Published:  January 1, 1995
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary: 

As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl—the fortieth prisoner—sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.

Review:

Blodeuedd actually encouraged me to read this. I read the summary, and I HAD to check it out. 

How to even do a summary of this??

We follow a young girl and 39 other women. The young girl is writing this story. She doesn't remember how the world used to be because she was too young when their worlds were taken from them. All she remembers is this cage. She prefers to sit alone and outcasts herself in the corner.  A chance arrives, and they take it. However, life outside the cage isn't how the world used to be. They will need to work together to survive and maybe, just maybe, find answers. 

The summary does not do this book justice, but I don't want to give anything away. 

This was a wild read, but not much really happens. But at the same time, there is a lot happening, and a lot DID happen before the cage. Lots of questions and barely any answers.

I think that is the simple beauty of the story. It doesn't really matter what happened. Sure, you want to know the hows and the whys. But this is a story about being human and finding meaning in your day. This is about community and, sadly, death. Yes, it drove me insane not having all the answers, and the ending was left pretty wide open, but I have hope. 

This isn't a feel-good story. Sometimes bad things happen, and you never know why. 

This would be an excellent book for High School or a book club. SO much to discuss and analyze. 

The narrator did an excellent job. She fit the words and brought this story to life. 

I liked it a lot. It made me think. It made me feel. It's a decently quick read, and I highly recommend it. 

5 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #18