La Femme Curiosita

Tag: book-reviews

  • Thoughts – “I Who Have Never Known Men”

    (Potential spoilers below)

    This weekend I finished I Who Have Never Known Men, a speculative novel by Jacqueline Harpman, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

    The story begins in a bunker where 40 women are being held under strict surveillance. None of them know how they got there, or where there even is. Among them is a young girl, the only one without any memories of life before captivity. One day, a siren blares, the guards panic, and in their rush, they leave the gate to the women’s cell unlocked. The women escape, but what awaits them is not freedom in any familiar sense – only a vast, barren landscape and the eerie discovery that they may be completely alone in the world. As they wander, they come across more bunkers just like their own – except in those, the occupants never made it out.

    Much like The Aosawa Murders, I tore through this book, driven by a need to understand what was going on, only to realize that the mystery itself might be the point. The farther the women travel, the more each discovery destabilizes their hope. Every cabin they find seems to ask: was this escape a blessing, or just a slower death?

    One thing that stayed with me most was the girl’s silent, persistent watching of the youngest guard. She stares at him, hoping he’ll acknowledge her – break from the mechanical detachment that defines their captors. He never does. And yet, when the chaos begins, it’s only their cell that’s left unlocked. I can’t stop thinking this wasn’t random. Maybe that young guard left the keys as a final, quiet defiance.

    There are no children in any of the other bunkers. No signs of life elsewhere. What if this unlikely connection between two young people, made entirely without words, was the only act of rebellion the system couldn’t predict?

    I’m still trying to piece together what this book stirred in me. It’s about survival, yes – but survival stripped of purpose, connection, even memory. What happens when you’re alive, but there’s no one to witness it? No history to return to, no future to build toward?

    I keep thinking about the title: I Who Have Never Known Men. It’s not just about absence .. it’s about being untouched by a certain kind of power, desire, violence, maybe even language. Is the girl freer because she’s unmarked by what came before, or more lost because she has no reference point at all? I don’t know yet. But I think Harpman wanted it that way.

  • Things On My Mind This Week

    Things On My Mind This Week

    This week felt like a whirlwind of emotions. One moment, I’m deep in thought, brimming with ideas, and the next, all I want is to curl up on the sofa with a book, letting myself disappear into a world that isn’t mine.

    On that note, here are a few things that sparked something in me this week..whether a thought, a feeling, or just a small moment of joy.

    A Book I Couldn’t Put Down

    Circe by Madeline Miller

    Books have a way of affecting people differently. So much of it depends on how we relate to certain characters, their choices, and even where we are in our own lives at the moment we read them.

    It always fascinates me how the same book can leave such different impressions. A friend gave this one three stars, while I gave it five. For me, it struck a deep chord, probably because I saw so much of myself in Circe.

    I’m saving the deep dive for another day, but if you’ve ever found yourself over-giving, people-pleasing, and unsure why things aren’t working out in what you believe is your favor, give this one a go.

    If you’re interested in exploring Circe for yourself, you can grab a copy here

    My Next Read

    I have to say my TBR list is long, and the amount of books I have stacked up in my apartment continues to grow

    YET

    My friend recommended The Will of the Many and now I can’t stop thinking about how I must read it. An apology to all the books waiting in queue but what can I say.

    A Thought

    I saw an Instagram post that I wish I saved, it said:

    Men’s hormones cycle 24 hours like the Sun and Women’s cycle 28 days like the phases of the moon.

    I’ve been thinking about it all week. Isn’t it wild, yet deeply fascinating, how much we mirror the universe? It feels as though we’re connected to something much larger than ourselves, that we are more aligned with the rhythms of nature than we realize ..

    or maybe most of us already have realized this but we just need these small reminders

    Dreams & Bacon

    Ever have one of those moments where something in your day reminds you of a dream you had?

    I took a bite of my favorite morning wrap, and suddenly, I remembered dreaming about bacon the night before. Why it matters, I’m not sure.

    But it’s so bizarre how we can forget our dreams and then something like this happens, and you start questioning if you were eating a plate of bacon yesterday (I wasn’t).

    Whenever I have an odd dream, I love to dissect it or ask ChatGPT what it could mean.

    I went through a phase where I would constantly dream the same thing (it’s a bit too strange to get into, but it involved a lot of bugs) and the common theme was anxiety, which was something I was dealing with at the time.

    It’s wild how often our dreams seem to mirror what we’re feeling or experiencing in our waking lives.

    Maybe it’s just a reminder to slow down and reflect on what we need, even when we don’t realize it. Sometimes these small, strange moments make me pause and take a closer look at what’s going on inside.

    Why bacon? Even ChatGPT isn’t sure. But it’s clear that it’s been a week of reflection for me.

    Note: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. It helps support the reading addiction at no extra cost to you. Thanks for reading!