7 Dystopian Book Recommendations Like I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman is one of my beloved books I have ever read. You can find my full review here.

I prepared a list of seven books that you might also enjoy if you love I Who Have Never….Most books listed below share similar dystopian setting, search for one’s place in the world and are profoundly meditative and introspective.

1 The Employees. A workplace novel of the 22nd century by Olga Ravn

Set on a spaceship, this novel explores themes of alienation, societal power dynamics, and dehumanisation in the workplace.

2 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

This novel explores themes of loss, isolation, identity, the nature of reality and totalitarianism.

3 Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

This novel tackles themes of moral ambiguity, human response to the unknown, exploitation of natural resources, power dynamics and how far humans will go to survive even in the most hostile environment.

4 Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

This novel depicts the society in the aftermath of collapse due to economic and social inequality, environmental destruction. The protagonist tries to survive in the world filled with scarcity and danger. Themes explored are human nature and moral ambiguity.

5 Aerth by Deborah Tomkins

The novel follows a story of Magnus who travels from Aerth to another planet Urth seeking for better future. However he finds out that the other planet faces the similar challenges like Aerth: overpopulation, environmental destruction, societal breakdown. Main themes are migration and search for belonging.

6 The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

An unnamed woman finds herself trapped in the Alps separated by the invisible wall from the rest of the world. Deeply introspective, absorbing, contemplative,  nuanced and compelling dystopian novel focusing on the meaning of freedom, solitude, written word, one’s connection to the natural world and animals, memory, the power of nature, survival, the value of menial work, one’s compulsion to understand the world, the position of women in the society and their freedom to live according to their own norms outside of the widely accepted social structures, and on the women experiencing solitude  without judgement. There is a peaceful quality about this novel defined by the spareness of its narrative and a sense of occhiolism. Writing feels very modern, with unemotional descriptions of all day long menial tasks. FULL REVIEW.

7 A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L.Peck

In line with the existential thought this novel explores the nature of eternity, the place of a person in the wider universe. The protagonist is trapped in hell which is a library inspired by The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges where he has to find the book that contains the story of his life. Only then he can leave. His search resembles the Myth of Sisyphus and provides no hope.