Deeply human, and almost unbearably bleak, this book examines what it means to live. It follows a child as she grows up, the youngest of 40 women trapped in a cage in a bunker. They are not allowed to touch, and the only men she’s ever seen are a few guards, who are outside the cage watching them all. 

This book reminds me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Both books are grim survival stories that really examine how and why we would choose to carry on in a desolate world. The main character in this book, child, has never known a life outside the cage or bunker. When the women talk about their lives before, love, jobs, children, literally anything—child has no frame of reference for what that means. Does that make it better, or worse? Would you rather know luxury and love and technology and medicine and lose it, or never know it at all? 

As the story progresses, child grows up and turns more introspective. And I really, really loved hearing her perspective on everything. The way she views touch, death, purpose—it’s all so unique, and heartbreaking, and makes me think about the cruelty and pointlessness of so many things in this world. At so many points in the novel, I had to pause and really reflect on what was just written, and I found myself crying several times. It’s short, but I found this book very impactful, and highly recommend.