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I Who Have Never Known Men

Jacqueline Harpman

Ros Schwartz

Sophie Mackintosh

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Ursula K. LeGuin meets The Road in a post-apocalyptic modern classic of female friendship and intimacy.

Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only a vague recollection of their lives before.

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.

Jacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, in 1929, and fled to Casablanca with her family during WWII. Informed by her background as a psychoanalyst and her youth in exile, I Who Have Never Known Men is a haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic novel of female friendship and intimacy, and the lengths people will go to maintain their humanity in the face of devastation.

Back in print for the first time since 1997, Harpman’s modern classic is an important addition to the growing canon of feminist speculative literature.

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Posts about this title from Boundless Press

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 26 2025

My FIRST Book Haul of the Year! new 2025 releases, lit fic, new ali hazelwood

Check out all the books that were sent to me recently or that I bought!

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

The Alchemist Society\ \ Shay\ \ • Apr 6

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[March was Women's History Month, and I had some great reads that I need you to read too). One was my second 5-star read of the year (and was only 164 pages). \ \ Just a reminder, as with any other month of the year, whether it's Black History Month, Pride Month, Women's History, or any other month recognizing a marginalized group of people... these months are given these titles in order to allow for the opportunity to highlight and be intentional about celebrating them! It doesn't stop once the month is over. Keep reading diversely and continue to open up your world!\ \ Ok, first up; I want to highlight my 5-star read, which was I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. \ \ \ \ This book was only ~164 pages, yet it packs quite the punch. This book is a speculative dystopian work of fiction following a young women who can not remember her past and who relies on the memories of the 39 other women of varying ages who are imprisoned with her, to shape her knowledge of the world "before" and provide perspective into their imprisonment and their current existence. \ \ I Who Have Never Men explores the world where there are no men. Initially, there were guards but they disappear and we don't see another man again. The story itself explores life without men, both through the lens of our MC who really has never known any men, and through the perspective of the 39 other women who have their memories and are able to miss the companionship and presence. One of the things I found the most interesting was in the novel was the way in which the women work together and have their small community together, while working to survive. The lack of men helps to subtlety highlight how each sex "lacks" in a way. \ \ The novel is an incredibly moving look into a foreign world where we never know what is going on. The loneliness, despair, confusion all cut like a knife, and regularly choked me up or caused me to tear up. It is a look at the human spirit to persist, or choose not to. To survive, and how community shapes how that survival looks. \ \ The author was a Belgian Jewish refugee. Her family fled from Belgium during the Nazi occupation, moving to Morocco, where they had built a successful business exporting fabrics and laces. The book itself never explicitly references the holocaust, but we can see the effect it had on her writing and imagery in I who have Never Known Men, especially when discussing the guards and their treatment, the prison and the various ways in which other prisoners were found. The novel was originally published in its original French and translated into English in 1997. \ \ I'm so happy to see so many people talking about recently. The exploration of female friendships, intimacy, support, community and friendships, which are only highlighted by the setting and events, are devastatingly moving, heartbreaking, and beautiful. I can only hope that it will receive similar treatment to Lord of the Flies and get its own adaptation someday. \ \ \ \ Burn the Sea is an upcoming novel (1st in a planned duology) which will be released on April 21, 2026. The novel explores a reimagining of the Portuguese invasion of southern India in the 1500's and the efforts of the warrior queen, Abbakka Chowta at repelling them. In Burn the Sea, the Portuguese are replaced by sea monsters half man half snake. We see her fight for her family and her country's freedom from these invaders, rising to the office of ruling, something which Abbakka's sister was born to do. \ \ The novel features a love triangle, lush imagery, moving friendships and a look into the female support that surrounds Abbakka, and political intrigue and machinations that are essential for preserving the sanctity and freedom of Ullal. \ \ Growing up, I devoured books about the Tudor women, Boudicca, Zenobia, and Cleopatra. The Royal Diaries were well-read in my household. This is a fictionalized version of events, but it takes heavy inspiration of the real world events that Rani Abbakka Chowta went through while fighting the Portuguese invaders. I can't wait to see what happens in book two. If you want some follow up reads to learn more about the history and events that inspired Burn the Sea, see the following: \ \

Women's History Month Reads: Female rage, loneliness, and empathy

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Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Mar 22

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Weirdo Book Club 2026 Selections

A little look at the books we've selected to read together this year!

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2-Spirit Bookshelf\ \ (@Indigenousbookshelf)\ \ • Nov 11 2025

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\ \ BLEAK.\ \ And tbh not as radical as I was expecting.\ \ I went in completely blind re: the plot, but had heard this was politically poignant. And honestly, I have very mixed feelings.\ \ The writing is undeniably skillful. It’s minimalist, emotional, and existential. The author builds this overwhelming despair without using violence or spectacle. It’s just an entire atmosphere of emptiness - little plot, no action, yet totally fuckin soul crushing. IMO it puts The Handmaid’s Tale to shame. I who Have Never Known Men achieves a deeper horror and sadness through quietness alone. Nothing is resolved or explained, and it still feels whole.\ \ But the more I sit with this book, the more uneasy I feel towards its messaging.\ \ It’s very clear that Jacqueline Harpman was writing from a Jewish perspective. There’s this recurring idea that the guards are also prisoners, trapped in the same invisible system. On first read, it felt like commentary on how power structures replicate themselves, how people end up enforcing the very systems that crush them. But upon reflecting, the framing seems more like absolution than critique. A cop out?? Everyone’s trapped, so no one’s really responsible. And in thinking about the world’s current events I can’t help but wonder if Harpman would extend that same empathy to Israeli soldiers, to colonizers?\ \ Something I didn’t love was the stance on ownership. The narrator never had property, never been taught about possession, but the second she finds stuff it’s hers. She finds a bunker, arranges it, and claims it. And it’s treated as human nature instead of learned colonial violence.\ \ Another thing that cheesed me was the topic of sexuality. As a queer ace person I found it weird that the narrator is immediately attracted to the one young man despite having literally zero exposure to romance, attraction, or gender roles. She’s literally never known men. Her puberty happened in captivity and her development was completely fucked by trauma but there’s still this automatic heterosexuality with no questioning/ ambiguity. Just the default setting. Why?\ \ And lastly, there’s the book’s engagement with death, dignity, and assisted dying. It’s rare to see those topics handled with such acceptance and pragmatism as in this novel.  I respected that the narrator could help people die when they asked. BUT then she refuses to help the one woman who isn’t physically ill????? The narrator has no religion or inherited morals so where’s that line coming from? It seems like the author’s own unspoken values.\ \ SO the more I think about it the more this book feels like a missed opportunity. It’s packaged as radicalism, but sorta reinforces the status quo. But maybe that there is the point after all ????\ \

“What does it mean to have lived, once you’re no longer alive?”\ \ Join for free or login](https://2spiritbookshelf.binderybooks.com/item/fDVTm9GL7UpZ6JeHRV9Y/)

Super Unpopular I Who Have Never Known Men Review😳 (sorry y’all!)

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Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Oct 16 2025

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/Vi24BtuTCH8J4RRbVEi4/)

In another city's bookstore, I'm just a reader

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Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Oct 3 2025

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(VIDEO) The best fiction/fantasy/scifi books I read in Q3!

The best fiction/fantasy/scifi books I read in Q3!

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Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Sep 4 2025

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(VIDEO) August Reading Recap 📚 9 Book Ratings & Reviews

My reading recap for August with 9 book reviews and ratings!

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Rachel Skye Reads\ \ Rachel\ \ • Jul 23 2025

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I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman book review: ♾️ ⭐️

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman book review: ♾️ ⭐️ I can’t stop thinking about it!!!! #iwhohaveneverknownmen #bookreview #rachelskyereads #dystopianbooks #booktokbookrecs

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Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Jul 4 2025

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/item/shnqo1DInG5XAdpeICTR/)

Giveaway Reminder + Discord + Dystopian Recs

Happy birthday Haymitch Abernathy 🎂

It’s Reaping Day but before you post about how “we’re not far now from having our IRL Hunger Games” I just ask that your dystopia doesn’t begin with The Hunger Games and abruptly end with The Handmaid’s Tale 📕

The third slide has two dystopias I’ve read and two from my TBR that I’ve heard raving reviews of. These can be heavy reads, but the thing I love about dystopia as a genre is the way in which it reveals so much about humanity and the many forms that resistance can take

#dystopia #sunriseonthereaping #thehungergames #handmaidstale #sciencefiction #parableofthesower

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Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • May 22 2025

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Weird books for sad people 🙌🏻 #madisoncanread #weirdbooks #weirdfiction #horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #Inverted

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Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • May 22 2025

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Kirstyn's Bookshelf\ \ Kirstyn\ \ • Apr 24 2025

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It’s not a science. 😅\ \ The way I haven’t even read some of these, but I still get hot vibes when I

It’s not a science. 😅

The way I haven’t even read some of these, but I still get hot vibes when I see someone reading them in public. 🤭

What book makes you want to know someone instantly?

#books #bookrecommendations #booksbooksandmorebooks

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Kirstyn's Bookshelf\ \ Kirstyn\ \ • Mar 31 2025

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Highly Anticipated March TBR

What’s on your March TBR? 👇🏼

Books mentioned: Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpmen The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

#bookrecommendations #books #booksbooksbooks

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Kirstyn's Bookshelf\ \ Kirstyn\ \ • Mar 31 2025

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25 Amazing Books I Want to Read in 2025

My 2025 TBR goes hard. I seriously could not be more excited to read these books. What are you reading this year?

Thank you for being here:)

CONTACT ME: hello@lareesocial.com

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Music: Mornings Musician: Jeff Kaale

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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 26 2025

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Check out all the books that were sent to me recently or that I bought!

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Mood Reads\ \ Hannah\ \ • Feb 12 2025

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January (and then some): A Moodreads Newsletter

A monthly(ish) newsletter.

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Mood Reads\ \ Hannah\ \ • Jan 16 2025

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Everything I've been reading, watching, and listening to so far!

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Mareas\ \ Marines\ \ • Dec 12 2024

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tidings 001: early copies of The Unmapping, giving myself homework, and surviving

Sometimes, I just have an idea (even if it isn't a very original one), and I just want to do it... now.

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Mareas\ \ Marines\ \ • Dec 10 2024

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finding some new favorites (and least favorites) of the year in my first December reading vlog

can she read 30 books this month? unclear.

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sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Sep 10 2024

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_I’m going to be putting out short little newsletters for paid subscribers with book reviews of some titles I think my readers on Substack and over here on Bindery might enjoy. I really appreciate your support. More than you can know. _https://open.substack.com/pub/onl00p/p/book-rec-round-up-01?r=1l6xza&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web\ \ Onto the books. These are all sapphic titles, in the sense that lesbianic things do in fact go down in all of these. I’m thinking I’ll have different themes of book recommendations per edition of the newsletter. And of course, we had to start with novels for dykes.\ \ ​\ \ Passing , Nella Larsen (1929)\ \ A Harlem Renaissance classic that I’ve heard is the Barnard girlies’ first-year required reading. There’s a reason why this isn’t assigned in high school, and it’s because it’s too gay. Just kidding, it’s probably because most teenagers can’t really conceive of a world where the color line was so rigidly enforced, yet so seemingly casually and easily manipulated. Ultimately, what drives this story is secrecy, desire, and repression– shit that we as lesbians are intimately familiar with. The novel follows the reconnection of two women who were once childhood acquaintances, one of whom now lives in and socializes with the upper-middle class neighborhoods of New York City, the other being someone who has crossed the color line and lives as a white woman. Both of them are Black women with light skin and features; but only one of them ‘passes’ as white, full time. It’s a compelling and fraught tale with an explosive ending. Nella Larsen as an author has only recently been brought into the Anglo-American canon. Her work was underrated and not widely recognized for its genius during her time. I highly recommend this book. It’s also not too long. I’m not a huge enjoyer of novels that are too long. You’ll notice this if you follow along with me on this paid-subscriber newsletter journey! Or if you watch my videos and already know the deal.\ \ ​\ \ One’s Company , Ashley Hutson (2022)\ \ For sitcom enjoyers, insane women, and people who have fantasized about what they would do if they won the lottery. Because yes, the main character of this novel is all of the above. Though this book heavily deals with the television show Three’s Company, a 70s sitcom I have no interest in, the fact that I had never watched impeded my reading experience not at all. In fact, I probably enjoyed it more for that fact. This book tells a trauma narrative, but in a way that is so immersed in its own world of delusion that the rest of the world might as well not exist. A strange book with a delightful cover. I love when a novel delightfully sprinkles some lesbianism into the narrative, and this book did exactly that. It’s a third act twist that I did not expect, and the lack of anticipation only increased my delight with this story. Easily readable or listenable in one sitting. I could not have been more engrossed. Real and true and genuine sufferers of mental illness will heavily resonate with this one, I think. It exists at once in a contemporary landscape and one that almost lives outside of time itself, in its own insular little bubble and capsule of human experience. That’s all television is though, isn’t it?\ \ ​\ \ I Who Have Never Known Men , Jacqueline Harpman. (1995)\ \ Apparently, this is a hot title right now. (According to the book buyer at the bookstore I work at.) It’s also the most recently read book included in this newsletter. My good friend Anna (pronounced Aw-Nuh by the way) highly recommended this book. Because I’m a good friend and I take my friends’ book reviews seriously, I knew that it was going to be good. And it was! Kind of has a similar vibe to The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa in the sense that the book presents a lot of questions in its representation of a dystopian reality, set vaguely in the past, present, or future, but rarely answers any of them. The satisfaction of understanding or not understanding the dystopias of the world portrayed in Harpman’s novel feels less significant than the fact of our main character’s odd existence. Her alienation and thus alienness of her character is reemphasized in the actual writing of the story, the distance you feel as a reader from the narrative. It also helps that this book was written originally in French. The author, a Jewish Belgian woman, contends with senseless violence, institutional isolation, and the reality of unfreedom in a way that speaks to a generational familiarity with these things. This book is an interrogation of the conditions of womanhood in a void of a world, a liminal space where time and identity mean very little. Until they do.\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

book rec round-up, 01

lesbian readers, this one's for you

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The Book Was Better\ \ Kayla\ \ • Aug 20 2024

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will never be able to get these books out of my brain 💖 #books #reading #booktok #booktoker #bookto

will never be able to get these books out of my brain 💖 #books #reading #booktok #booktoker #booktokfyp #bookish #booksiwouldsellmysoultoreadagain #booksiwishicouldreadforthefirsttimeagain #favoritebooks #booksicantstopthinkingabout #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #kristinhannah #monaawad #booklover #bookworm #bookstan #tbwb #thebookwasbetter

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The Book Was Better\ \ Kayla\ \ • May 13 2024

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saw the lovely @Nicole do this so i had to give it a try 🙈

saw the lovely @Nicole do this so i had to give it a try 🙈 #books #booktok #booktoker #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #booktokbooks #tbwb #thebookwasbetter

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The Book Was Better\ \ Kayla\ \ • May 13 2024

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i missed out on this trend last year so i couldn’t wait to do it for you guys this year! ❤️

i missed out on this trend last year so i couldn’t wait to do it for you guys this year! ❤️ #books #reading #booktok #booktoker #booktokfyp #bookish #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookrec #favoritebooks #q1 #bestbooks #dollyalderton #emilyaustin #jaquelineharpman #booklover #bookstan #bookworm #bookshelf #tbwb #thebookwasbetter

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The Book Was Better\ \ Kayla\ \ • May 13 2024

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i don’t think i will ever stop talking about these 🥹⭐️

i don’t think i will ever stop talking about these 🥹⭐️ #books #reading #booktok #booktoker #booktokfyp #bookish #5starbooks #booksicantstopthinkingabout #favoritebooks #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #booksilove #booksthatchangedmylife #bookworm #bookstan #booklover #bookshelf #tbwb #thebookwasbetter #CapCut

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The Book Was Better\ \ Kayla\ \ • May 13 2024

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my reviews + ratings for the 6 books i read in february! ⭐️📚

my reviews + ratings for the 6 books i read in february! ⭐️📚 #books #reading #booktok #booktoker #booktokfyp #bookish #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #monthlywrapup #readingwrapup #monthlyreadingwrapup #februaryreads #whatireadthismonth #bookworm #bookstan #booklover #bookshelf #tbwb #thebookwasbetter

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