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gossamer_lens 's review for:

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
4.75
dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I really really enjoyed this book. I would give it a 5 star if there weren't some very reductive views/ideas taken as fact in this book about women's bodies. There is a sort of bio essentialism and fear of women's love that is odd and frustrating at times. 

That said, the world and vibes were perfect for me. I found it distinctly unsettling and intriguing in a most perfect way. I wanted to know at every point where things were going and I found a lot of the reflection on things to be starkly interesting, strange, and thoughtful. 

Basically if this author hadn't been scared of embracing the gay and not perpetuating hymen myths... I would have loved it with complete abandon. Even with that, I will probably wish to revisit this at some point. Or I'll wish to revisit Piranesi... we shall see.