I Who Have Never Known Men

A haunting, heartbreaking tale of female friendship and intimacy that evokes the chilling atmospheres of The Handmaid's Tale and the desolate landscapes of The Road, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a story that lingers long after the last page is turned.

This gripping narrative takes us deep underground, where thirty-nine women are held in isolation within a cage, their existence overseen by silent guards. Above them, the world remains a mystery. Has it been ravaged by a devastating virus, abandoned by humanity, or obliterated by an unidentified catastrophe?

The women have no recollection of how they arrived in their subterranean prison, no sense of the passage of time, and only the faintest memories of their lives before. Day and night blur together under unending electric light, and the years slip away in their confined environment. Amidst these women is a young girl, the enigmatic fortieth prisoner, who sits apart, unnoticed and outcast.

As the story unfolds, this young girl emerges as the linchpin for the others' escape and the key to their survival in the enigmatic world that lies above. Her journey and the bond she forms with her fellow captives underline the profound themes of human resilience, identity, and the unyielding quest for freedom. She becomes the woman who will never know men.

With a new introduction by Sophie Mackintosh, Man Booker Prize-longlisted author of The Water Cure, this edition sheds new light on the novel's enduring relevance and its powerful exploration of the human spirit in the face of bleak adversity.