Staff Writer: Kimberly
Published Date: January 1, 1995, rereleased in 2022
Number of pages: 184 pages
Format (physical book/e-book/audiobook): e-book
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Tags: Feminism, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction
Cardigan rating: 4.5 out of 5
Originally released in French in 1995, then went out of print for many years. A revised translation was released in the U.S. in 2022, and became popular largely due to social media reviews.
In the month of February, where much is centered around the romance of Valentine’s Day, this book is the opposite of romantic. The title should be taken literally, the main character has never known man, as she is a prisoner in an underground bunker along with 39 other women. She’s caught in a world of unknowns. They have no idea what planet they are on, why they have been captured, who is keeping them there, or why. They are not allowed to touch each other or harm each other or themselves. The male guards do not interact with them, other than to threaten them with whips. If you are looking for a light-hearted, feel-good fairy tale with a “happily ever after,” this is not it. If you’re feeling a bit rebellious, or maybe frustrated with the pressures of relationships, or being single, or social comparison, this might be for you.
Critics of the book say there's not a whole lot that happens, the “action” is very repetitive, and the ending may be disappointing for some. However, I would describe the ending as haunting. I saw the repetitive parts as a metaphor for the way some of us are living - wake up, go to work, come home, take care of the household… wake up, go to work, come home, take care of the household… This book is much deeper than the words on the page and in this case, the repetition is a part of the story. The main character acknowledges the difficulties in not having any experiences, and not having anything “happen”, or rather, very few things happen. It leaves you wondering what would be left if you stripped away the distractions of daily life. So many of the things we spend our hours and days doing are truly meaningless, but if they were gone, how would we cope? This book is for anyone who has fundamentally questioned the meaning of life and their role in the universe. It’s for someone who has been lonely or alone for long periods of time, or who has been troubled by thoughts that they should be a better person, whatever that means. It also helped me find gratitude for what I have and hope that I will find more.