Apparently this novel gets some attention now that it's been translated to English as "I Who Have Never Known Men", which led to this re-issue in French too. The author was born in in 1929, the same year as my father, and like her, we are also born in Etterbeek, the same commune of Brussels, so there was some personal interest on my part to read this book.
It's the story of 40 women who live in a cage, guarded by men, deep underground. The narrator is the youngest of them, and she has no recollection of what happened to bring them there, nor has she any notion of the context. The place and the time are not described, but we can assume it's sometime in the future. Early on, the guards leave in a hurry when the alarms go off, and the women manage to leave the cage, only to surface on an endless desert-like landscape with few reference points or signs of life, human or other.
They gather some food and water and set out for the unknown. I will not go into further detail to avoid disclosing too much of the plot.
When asked what the purpose of their existence is, the following dialogue ensues:
"- Les hommes, petite, c' etait être en vie. Que sommes-nous, sans avenir, sans descendance? Les derniers maillons d'une chaine cassée.- La vie donnait done tellement de plaisir?- Tu as si peu idée de ce qu' était avoir un destin que tu ne peux pas comprendre ce qu'il en est d'être dépourvues au point où nous le sommes. Regarde notre façon de vivre : nous savons qu'il faut faire comme si c' était le matin car ils augmentent l' éclairage, puis ils nous passent la nourriture et à un moment donné les lumières baissent. Nous ne sommes même pas sures qu'ils nous fassent vivre sur un rythme de vingt-quatre heures, comment mesurerions-nous le temps ? Ils nous ont réduites au dénuement absolu." (p.61)
What is life without any future, any past, any action, any plans, any joy, there is not even a sense of time since the women live by the rhythm of the artificial light in the cave.
The story is dark, dystopian, depressing. There seems to be no hope for the women, despite all their efforts. It's worth reading because of the coherence in the narrative, its singular plot and setting. The story is sufficiently strong to hold a mirror to the reader about his own life, and the sense of direction we have with all connections and perspectives.
On the downside, there are a lot of contradictions or narrative problems. There is no reason why the main character suddenly starts asking questions when the narrative begins, as if she - like the reader - had never been in this place before. It's also bizarre that when they reach a river, the women do not decide to follow the river downstream, as this would be the easiest tactic to encounter other people, and to have drinking water at all times.
Anyway, I will be generous in my comments. It's worth reading, and definitely a memorable novel.
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