I Who Have Never Known Men is a strange, haunting little book that pulls you in with its mystery. It follows a girl who’s spent her whole life locked underground with a group of women, never knowing why or what the world outside is really like. An event occurs that allows them to escape and what they find is more mysterious than the captivity itself. The writing is simple but emotional, and the story feels like a dark fairy tale—quiet, lonely, and filled with big questions about freedom, identity, and what it means to be human. It’s the kind of book that sticks with you, not because of action, but because it makes you think long after you’re done and because so much is left unknown to the reader, like how they got there, why they are there, and what the future will bring. You get hints that there was an apocalyptic event, but no details. I thought about this book so much afterwards, kind of reminded me of some of Brian Evenson’s stories. Highly recommended.
