We’ve all seen and read stories of men stranded in islands and their tales of survival, but what if I told you, that this is similar, only with Women instead of Men and vast unknown plains instead of an island?
I who have never known men follows a group of 40 women held captive for 12 something years in an underground cage, guarded by men, with no recollection of how they got there and with vague memories of their lives before.
These women who have been living lives devoid of touch, under the scrutiny of male guards watching over them, having gotten used to the routine of their prison lives are shocked when one day, an event that has the guards abandoning them with just the keys on the cage.
The rest of the book follows their escape, (or is it really?) and their journey of survival, exploration, female friendships, communal spirit, love, loss and much more.
The story is narrated by the youngest, who was around 16 during the time of their escape, and close to 4 years, a mere toddler during captivity, she, who has no name, has never known men, does not bleed like the others, does not and will never know love, family or the world like the others do, but stands as a beacon of hope.
The plot took off only after the first 10%, and even though it’s a very small book (200 pages), it raises a lot of questions, and has a lot of metaphors to life itself.
It also explores loneliness, grief, desperation, and loss of spirit so well.
I also think, this whole plot also has some semblance to this journey of life itself. Just like the protagonist, we are born with no knowledge of anything or life skills, the only knowledge and skills we know are passed down or taught from others, and just like her journey, we have no idea what lies ahead for us, what the next leg of our journey holds, what will we find, what or who we will lose, everything a question mark that only time and patience can answer. And only the strong spirited make the journey, like most of the women, most of us grow tired and disparage, and even the best of us eventually lose our spirit or our deteriorating health stops us.
Give it a read, would love to hear your thoughts.
by 3amdreamer_1004