I Who Have Never Known Men consistently surprised me, and also made me profoundly sad, like a taste-the-rising-bile kind of sad. the premise is upsetting, yes, but Harpman’s writing is also beautiful and precise enough to cut through any concerns about gimmickry and deliver an emotionally-driven story. this is a great novel about feminist consciousness in the context of intergenerational relationships. the only things there are to know of men are the bars and the whips.