I Who Have Never Known Men

This is a dystopian novel from the nineties that’s gotten a resurgence thanks to TikTok. (It’s been rebranded The Handmaid’s Tale for Gen Z.) After reading this piece in The Cut, my attention was piqued. The subject matter sounded interesting, but how interesting is it that a Belgian book in translation (from 30 years ago) is now a trending best seller!? While I didn’t find the book to be life-changing, I did really like it, and I’m still thinking about it. The book is narrated by a girl who has been raised in a cage underground with 39 other women. The narrator is young and can only remember captivity, but the other captive women have memories of before. None of them have any idea how they got there; meanwhile, they are constantly monitored by three male guards. When they miraculously escape, they are not sure if they are even on Earth. All life is just gone; there are no seasons . . . just endless plains of grass. As our narrator quickly realizes that she will be the last of her group to survive, she realizes she might actually be the last living person (wherever it is that she may be). Also worth noting, this is a fast read — it’s just over 160 pages!