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We Were Forbidden
From the author of I Who Have Never Known Men comes a startling new collection of three never-before-translated stories, each plumbing the depths of that most necessary human defiance.
Wandering the forest in the wake of some unfathomable war, a woman and her fellow survivors are forbidden from leaving its boundaries or pausing in their march through its strange depths.
As part of her rigid shcooling, a teenage girl is barred from questioning the dogma she is taught to believe – her punishment for doing so will be as disturbing as it is disproportiante.
Locked in a loveless marriage, a young woman satisfies her husband’s desires, twice-weekly, as directed. She has not yet thought to pursue her own.
In varying ways, and across varying worlds, each of these women are trapped. Do they have the will to escape?
BRIEF classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days
Wandering the forest in the wake of some unfathomable war, a woman and her fellow survivors are forbidden from leaving its boundaries or pausing in their march through its strange depths.
As part of her rigid shcooling, a teenage girl is barred from questioning the dogma she is taught to believe – her punishment for doing so will be as disturbing as it is disproportiante.
Locked in a loveless marriage, a young woman satisfies her husband’s desires, twice-weekly, as directed. She has not yet thought to pursue her own.
In varying ways, and across varying worlds, each of these women are trapped. Do they have the will to escape?
BRIEF classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2026
About the author
Jacqueline Harpman
34 books2,154 followersJacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, in 1929. Being half Jewish, the family moved to Casablanca when the Nazis invaded, and returned home after the war. After studying French literature she started training to be a doctor, but could not complete her medical studies when she contracted tuberculosis. She turned to writing in 1954 and her first work was published in 1958. In 1980 she qualified as a psychoanalyst. She had given up writing after her fourth book was published, and resumed her career as a novelist only some twenty years later. She wrote twelve novels and won several literary prizes, most recently the Médicis for the present novel. She was married to an architect and had two children.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
Want to Read
May 20, 2026after I Who Have Never Known Men i'm ready for whatever existential crisis this has in store for me
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
A very quick read (I didn’t realize this was 100 pages) but not necessarily one that will stick with me.
The Ardennes Forest is a great first story with an ominous, ambiguous set-up that feels very reminiscent of I Who Have Never Known Men. It was by far my favourite of the three.
The Outcast was solid — there’s an excerpt that gives the necessary historical context, and the story itself has a few interesting things to say about perspective.
The Broom Closet was a bit of a flop for me, sadly. A woman conjures up a fictional woman and her adultery, but the layers of storytelling don’t quite work in such a short story. Again, this one is quite similar to Orlanda, another of her published works.
If you like Harpman’s work I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! I just think objectively it’s difficult for three ~30 page stories to offer much lasting impression. These are by no means a cohesive trio, and I’m curious if they’re early ideas for what later became her novels? The parallels are hard to ignore!
Thank you to Transit Books for the ARC!
—-
Jacqueline Harpman will always have a fan in me <3
The Ardennes Forest is a great first story with an ominous, ambiguous set-up that feels very reminiscent of I Who Have Never Known Men. It was by far my favourite of the three.
The Outcast was solid — there’s an excerpt that gives the necessary historical context, and the story itself has a few interesting things to say about perspective.
The Broom Closet was a bit of a flop for me, sadly. A woman conjures up a fictional woman and her adultery, but the layers of storytelling don’t quite work in such a short story. Again, this one is quite similar to Orlanda, another of her published works.
If you like Harpman’s work I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! I just think objectively it’s difficult for three ~30 page stories to offer much lasting impression. These are by no means a cohesive trio, and I’m curious if they’re early ideas for what later became her novels? The parallels are hard to ignore!
Thank you to Transit Books for the ARC!
—-
Jacqueline Harpman will always have a fan in me <3
Read
May 31, 2026Billed as three stories about defiance, this small collection showcases Harpman's unique and varied styles of writing with her signature ability to create atmosphere and use fiction to reveal the artifice of human existence.
"The Ardennes Forest" - calling to mind the speculative/post-apocalyptic setting of her beloved novel I Who Have Never Known Men, we follow a group of soldiers assigned the task of wandering and surveying a forest for years on end, leading them to question the meaning of their work and the pitfalls of blind obedience.
"The Outcast" - an intelligent young girl experiences the realities of conflict and the inability for logic to win over emotion amidst a politically shifting culture.
"The Broom Closet" - a meta-narrative in which Harpman contemplates storytelling by bringing the reader into the creative process to craft the life of a young, passionate woman in 1920s Belgium, exploring ideas of female agency, marriage, and the creative process.
If you aren't already a fan of Harpman, I'm not sure these 3 short stories will completely win you over. They're good, though the collection feels a bit randomly put together and obviously at only 90 pages total there's not a lot of material here. I enjoyed them all for what they were and would recommend, but wish it had been a fuller collection with a more clear throughline.
"The Broom Closet"
"The Ardennes Forest" - calling to mind the speculative/post-apocalyptic setting of her beloved novel I Who Have Never Known Men, we follow a group of soldiers assigned the task of wandering and surveying a forest for years on end, leading them to question the meaning of their work and the pitfalls of blind obedience.
"The Outcast" - an intelligent young girl experiences the realities of conflict and the inability for logic to win over emotion amidst a politically shifting culture.
"The Broom Closet" - a meta-narrative in which Harpman contemplates storytelling by bringing the reader into the creative process to craft the life of a young, passionate woman in 1920s Belgium, exploring ideas of female agency, marriage, and the creative process.
If you aren't already a fan of Harpman, I'm not sure these 3 short stories will completely win you over. They're good, though the collection feels a bit randomly put together and obviously at only 90 pages total there's not a lot of material here. I enjoyed them all for what they were and would recommend, but wish it had been a fuller collection with a more clear throughline.
"The Broom Closet"
January 10, 2026
Three of the best short stories I’ve ever read.
March 19, 2026
She’s done it, she did it, and she will continue to do it with every translation
Read
January 23, 2026Thinking about this one!!! Phenomenal writer ofc just gotta get my thoughts in order
Want to Read
December 16, 2025I have been waiting for more Jacqueline Harpman to be translated I am SO EXCITED
July 2, 2026
I love Harpman’s writing. The first two stories were really strong, but the last one pulls down the rating to a 4⭐️. Also I think my Barnes put this out too early??? Because idk how I have this if it isn’t published yet 🤓
July 5, 2026
Loved the first story, liked the second story, & was confused by the third story.
June 25, 2026
The second story is the only one I felt reached the levels of her other works I read. The broom closet is interesting as an examination of writing and how fiction comes from a person. The first story is just a prototype I Who Have Never Known Men and just kinda does everything the novel does but not as well as the novel does.
June 6, 2026
i love her brain
January 26, 2026
Harpman’s style of prose is great (at least in translation), but these stories left me ultimately unsatisfied.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me the eARC via Edelweiss+.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me the eARC via Edelweiss+.
February 4, 2026
3.5/5 rounded up
i really liked these, particularly the first and the third- the first has echoes of i who have never known men. i really love harpman’s writing and am kind of despairing the fact that there’s only one more work of hers that’s bee translated into english (as far as im aware)
i really liked these, particularly the first and the third- the first has echoes of i who have never known men. i really love harpman’s writing and am kind of despairing the fact that there’s only one more work of hers that’s bee translated into english (as far as im aware)
Read
July 3, 2026i would sell my soul to be able to write like her
April 23, 2026
Wow, so I had to change my review on this one after thinking about it for a minute.
(screw you, Goodreads, for not letting me change my ranking)
I feel like an imposter admitting that this is my first Jacqueline Harpman title, but very eager to dive into more of her tomes, nonetheless.
We Were Forbidden is divided into three short stories that depict the horrors of war, discrimination, and loss. Each experience felt so purely raw and emotional without needing to apply gore or creature-like fear, casting out the main character(s) in each tale to be isolated and starved, as part of a larger societal failure.
I feel very somber upon finishing this collection.
(screw you, Goodreads, for not letting me change my ranking)
I feel like an imposter admitting that this is my first Jacqueline Harpman title, but very eager to dive into more of her tomes, nonetheless.
We Were Forbidden is divided into three short stories that depict the horrors of war, discrimination, and loss. Each experience felt so purely raw and emotional without needing to apply gore or creature-like fear, casting out the main character(s) in each tale to be isolated and starved, as part of a larger societal failure.
I feel very somber upon finishing this collection.
January 25, 2026
A trio of novellas: one in which a group of individuals roam a forest under strict orders during a war; another an autobiographical tale in which a young girl challenges ideology at her school, a choice that will forever impacts her; and lastly, a tale of a young wife in a loveless marriage discovers new passions.
It’s hard to say much more about these stories without giving too much away (the first of which, I will say, was my personal favorite). Unsurprisingly, I found them to be expertly written and beautifully translated. These stories are rich and present much to unpack, dissect, and discuss. Fans of Harpman’s I Who Have Never Known Men will assuredly enjoy these stories, too!
It’s hard to say much more about these stories without giving too much away (the first of which, I will say, was my personal favorite). Unsurprisingly, I found them to be expertly written and beautifully translated. These stories are rich and present much to unpack, dissect, and discuss. Fans of Harpman’s I Who Have Never Known Men will assuredly enjoy these stories, too!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
OUT TODAY, 7 July 2026
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: From the author of I Who Have Never Known Men comes a startling new collection of three never-before-translated stories, each plumbing the depths of that most necessary human defiance.
Wandering the forest in the wake of some unfathomable war, a woman and her fellow survivors are forbidden from leaving its boundaries or pausing in their march through its strange depths.
As part of her rigid schooling, a teenage girl is barred from questioning the dogma she is taught to believe—her punishment for doing so will be as disturbing as it is disproportionate.
Locked in a loveless marriage, a young woman satisfies her husband’s desires, twice-weekly, as directed. She has not yet thought to pursue her own.
In varying ways, and across varying worlds, each of these women are trapped. Do they have the will to escape?
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: One of the most enduring stories in Western Anglophone culture is the princess in the tower, locked away and in the absolute control of A Man/A System/An Enemy, and how she must connive to survive with whatever degree of success the cruel, cruel storyteller allows her. Now firmly grounded in the reality of being female over the millennia, along comes Author Harpman with Translator Schwartz as amanuensis, extrapolating this cultural juggernaut to include all those trapped in subservience and obedience to high-control systems.
In "The Outcast" Author Harpman uses the most familiar iteration of the story. A teenaged girl is in the intertwining coils of adolescence and sexual maturation and cultural demands for conformity. It's harrowing to see Author Harpman's keen observations of fascism turned loose on one so hugely vulnerable and malleable...it is a shorter and refocused version of the juggernaut I Who Have Never Known Men and should appeal to those seeking more of that story only dressed in a shorter, more contemporaneous skirt.
Moving into times and ties more concrete, "The Broom Closet" is a woman's struggle to find her footing in 1920s Belgium. The demands of domesticity on women are different from those made on men even now; in the deeply conservative culture of postwar Belgium, where the battles that killed millions were barely over let alone their damage repaired, they were starkly different. As one adds the inexorable advance of marriage's compromises conflicting with the absolute tyranny of the need to create stories, the trap of cultural expectations springs shut. Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own's observations made specific and played out with the intensity of "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Expanding the story logic to those enmeshed in the military of an apocalyptic future, "The Ardennes Forest" is the most immediately reminiscent in its setting to I Who Have Never Known Men while expanding scope beyond one woman's life. A group of conscripts are mapping and scouting the terrain for what they imagine, not unreasonably, to be a future battlefield. That future never comes. They continue the work they've been assigned.
Endlessly.
As the story goes into nothing deeply, it became obvious to me this is Author Harpman meditating on the tedious tasks of daily life performed under nebulous, ominous duress. There's a weirdly onanistic edge to the submission of these soldiers to their assigned task even as they begin to question what it is they're doing as nothing ever changes as a result of its self-similar patterns.
Three stories of people in a system of depersonalizing cruelty, and how that strips an individual of any sense of agency; numbing the essential "You"ness of you into submissive obedience. I'm not a bit sure it will make new Harpman fans. For one thing, there are limits to the efficacy of compactness in the involving process of storytelling. I think these three stories are on the shortest end of that effort, possibly too short for anyone not already familiar with Author Harpman's thematic hobbyhorses to fully invest in them.
Existing fans are in for a treat.
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: From the author of I Who Have Never Known Men comes a startling new collection of three never-before-translated stories, each plumbing the depths of that most necessary human defiance.
Wandering the forest in the wake of some unfathomable war, a woman and her fellow survivors are forbidden from leaving its boundaries or pausing in their march through its strange depths.
As part of her rigid schooling, a teenage girl is barred from questioning the dogma she is taught to believe—her punishment for doing so will be as disturbing as it is disproportionate.
Locked in a loveless marriage, a young woman satisfies her husband’s desires, twice-weekly, as directed. She has not yet thought to pursue her own.
In varying ways, and across varying worlds, each of these women are trapped. Do they have the will to escape?
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: One of the most enduring stories in Western Anglophone culture is the princess in the tower, locked away and in the absolute control of A Man/A System/An Enemy, and how she must connive to survive with whatever degree of success the cruel, cruel storyteller allows her. Now firmly grounded in the reality of being female over the millennia, along comes Author Harpman with Translator Schwartz as amanuensis, extrapolating this cultural juggernaut to include all those trapped in subservience and obedience to high-control systems.
In "The Outcast" Author Harpman uses the most familiar iteration of the story. A teenaged girl is in the intertwining coils of adolescence and sexual maturation and cultural demands for conformity. It's harrowing to see Author Harpman's keen observations of fascism turned loose on one so hugely vulnerable and malleable...it is a shorter and refocused version of the juggernaut I Who Have Never Known Men and should appeal to those seeking more of that story only dressed in a shorter, more contemporaneous skirt.
Moving into times and ties more concrete, "The Broom Closet" is a woman's struggle to find her footing in 1920s Belgium. The demands of domesticity on women are different from those made on men even now; in the deeply conservative culture of postwar Belgium, where the battles that killed millions were barely over let alone their damage repaired, they were starkly different. As one adds the inexorable advance of marriage's compromises conflicting with the absolute tyranny of the need to create stories, the trap of cultural expectations springs shut. Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own's observations made specific and played out with the intensity of "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Expanding the story logic to those enmeshed in the military of an apocalyptic future, "The Ardennes Forest" is the most immediately reminiscent in its setting to I Who Have Never Known Men while expanding scope beyond one woman's life. A group of conscripts are mapping and scouting the terrain for what they imagine, not unreasonably, to be a future battlefield. That future never comes. They continue the work they've been assigned.
Endlessly.
As the story goes into nothing deeply, it became obvious to me this is Author Harpman meditating on the tedious tasks of daily life performed under nebulous, ominous duress. There's a weirdly onanistic edge to the submission of these soldiers to their assigned task even as they begin to question what it is they're doing as nothing ever changes as a result of its self-similar patterns.
Three stories of people in a system of depersonalizing cruelty, and how that strips an individual of any sense of agency; numbing the essential "You"ness of you into submissive obedience. I'm not a bit sure it will make new Harpman fans. For one thing, there are limits to the efficacy of compactness in the involving process of storytelling. I think these three stories are on the shortest end of that effort, possibly too short for anyone not already familiar with Author Harpman's thematic hobbyhorses to fully invest in them.
Existing fans are in for a treat.
July 7, 2026
We Were Forbidden is a book comprised of three short stories: The Ardennes Forest, The Outcast, and The Broom Closet (my personal favorite).
Like everybody else, I read I Who Have Never Known Men and absolutely fell in love with it! I then went searching to find more by Harpman, as I wanted to know just how far her literature reaches, which was when I found this book. Although short, the three different stories offer great insight into the mind of Harpman, and perfectly display her writing style and what makes her writing so special.
The Ardennes Forest was my least favorite of the three, as it felt like sort of a repeat of I Who Have Never Known Men. That being said I still greatly admire her writing in it, and her ability to speak so concisely yet still have an immense emotional impact on the reader.
The Outcast was good, but not my favorite. It's about 20 pages long and tells the story of a young girl in school who is barred from speaking after an incident. The main thing that I took away from this story comes from page 40 when Harpman boldly states that "describing bores me". Now hearing an author say this should raise some red flags, but it doesn't with Harpman. The story is about how her tongue has always gotten her into trouble, and how if there is nothing to talk about, or no point to the talking, why should we speak? Harpman refusing to write a description because she doesn't want to adds to the novel in the same way that a description would.
Now we get to The Broom Closet, the best of the three in my opinion. This story reads like a half fiction half non-fiction tale, where we zoom into the story and then back out to Harpman creating it time and time again. This was phenomenal. To see inside Harpman's mind and the decisions she makes is an absolute dream. The story follows a young Madame who has an affair, that starts inside a broom closet. The story manages to be funny and bleak simultaneously, all while offering the reader some intense and thought provoking ideas sprinkled throughout it. My words fall short of accurately describing the story and the feeling it gives you, so instead I use my words to encourage you to read it.
Like everybody else, I read I Who Have Never Known Men and absolutely fell in love with it! I then went searching to find more by Harpman, as I wanted to know just how far her literature reaches, which was when I found this book. Although short, the three different stories offer great insight into the mind of Harpman, and perfectly display her writing style and what makes her writing so special.
The Ardennes Forest was my least favorite of the three, as it felt like sort of a repeat of I Who Have Never Known Men. That being said I still greatly admire her writing in it, and her ability to speak so concisely yet still have an immense emotional impact on the reader.
The Outcast was good, but not my favorite. It's about 20 pages long and tells the story of a young girl in school who is barred from speaking after an incident. The main thing that I took away from this story comes from page 40 when Harpman boldly states that "describing bores me". Now hearing an author say this should raise some red flags, but it doesn't with Harpman. The story is about how her tongue has always gotten her into trouble, and how if there is nothing to talk about, or no point to the talking, why should we speak? Harpman refusing to write a description because she doesn't want to adds to the novel in the same way that a description would.
Now we get to The Broom Closet, the best of the three in my opinion. This story reads like a half fiction half non-fiction tale, where we zoom into the story and then back out to Harpman creating it time and time again. This was phenomenal. To see inside Harpman's mind and the decisions she makes is an absolute dream. The story follows a young Madame who has an affair, that starts inside a broom closet. The story manages to be funny and bleak simultaneously, all while offering the reader some intense and thought provoking ideas sprinkled throughout it. My words fall short of accurately describing the story and the feeling it gives you, so instead I use my words to encourage you to read it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I’m seriously considering learning French and tracking down every scrap of paper Harpman ever wrote on, simply for the chance to spend more time in her mind.
These three stories are further proof of her remarkable ability to compress immense ideas into very few pages. They explore power, blind faith, obedience, rebellion, and the fragile construction of identity.
The first story follows thirty-seven post-hypnotic soldiers wandering through the Ardennes on an unknown mission. They have marched for so long that they have forgotten not only their objective and the reason they continue to walk.
The second, autobiographical piece recounts an argument Harpman had with a friend in Morocco after loyalties shifted from Vichy-aligned sympathies to support for de Gaulle and the Allies. What begins as a debate about heaven becomes an examination of hypocrisy: Henrietta longs for her brother’s safe return from the front, yet simultaneously believes that dying for one’s country would be his noblest and happiest fate. Harpman’s refusal to accept this contradiction leaves her isolated from both friends and teachers. As she writes, “Everyone sided with stupidity over Reason.” Elsewhere, “the monsters Hypocrisy and Received Ideas were always spelt with capital letters.”
“I have retained the permanent horror of opinionated youth.”
The final story returns to the 1920s in a dreamlike railway reverie. Harpman imagines herself as the adulterous wife of an incorruptible judge, stealing moments of mischief in broom cupboards while plotting her husband’s murder. The tale delights in its own artifice, slipping effortlessly between past and present, addressing the reader directly, and repeatedly breaking the fourth wall.
In the first story, you can glimpse the seeds of I Who Have Never Known Men; in the last, the playful wit and satire of Orlanda. Even in these brief pieces, Harpman’s voice is unmistakable.
These three stories are further proof of her remarkable ability to compress immense ideas into very few pages. They explore power, blind faith, obedience, rebellion, and the fragile construction of identity.
The first story follows thirty-seven post-hypnotic soldiers wandering through the Ardennes on an unknown mission. They have marched for so long that they have forgotten not only their objective and the reason they continue to walk.
The second, autobiographical piece recounts an argument Harpman had with a friend in Morocco after loyalties shifted from Vichy-aligned sympathies to support for de Gaulle and the Allies. What begins as a debate about heaven becomes an examination of hypocrisy: Henrietta longs for her brother’s safe return from the front, yet simultaneously believes that dying for one’s country would be his noblest and happiest fate. Harpman’s refusal to accept this contradiction leaves her isolated from both friends and teachers. As she writes, “Everyone sided with stupidity over Reason.” Elsewhere, “the monsters Hypocrisy and Received Ideas were always spelt with capital letters.”
“I have retained the permanent horror of opinionated youth.”
The final story returns to the 1920s in a dreamlike railway reverie. Harpman imagines herself as the adulterous wife of an incorruptible judge, stealing moments of mischief in broom cupboards while plotting her husband’s murder. The tale delights in its own artifice, slipping effortlessly between past and present, addressing the reader directly, and repeatedly breaking the fourth wall.
In the first story, you can glimpse the seeds of I Who Have Never Known Men; in the last, the playful wit and satire of Orlanda. Even in these brief pieces, Harpman’s voice is unmistakable.
June 19, 2026
As someone who adores Harpman’s “I Who Have Never Known Men,” I was incredibly excited to find this at my local bookstore. In its entirety, the book is less than 100 pages and each story is very brief. My favorite of the three is “The Ardennes Forest,” mainly because it echos similar themes and feelings from her novel. With that, it borderline crosses the line of redundancy, namely in the last 2 pages. That does not take away the beauty of the story, and I think it is a great, thought provoking piece about agency with/without supervision, and broadly the purpose of life.
Furthermore, “The Outcast” was a layered autopsy of an instance Harpman experienced in her youth. At first, I was not interested in this piece, but once she started to dive into her perception of intimacy, pride, and anger I felt very connected. I think many opinionated woman face similar reactions as Harpman did to goes against the grain (namely in times of political turmoil). Even as she is separated from her youth, she still holds so much of those emotions and is endless sparring with it. I find it beautiful.
The final story “The Broom Closet” was my least favorite. Harpman is diving into this sexual and adulterous multilayered fantasy a woman experiences. I think this story is great in theory, but in execution it did not quite hit for me. I found it to be less of a thought out narrative and instead more of stream of consciousness writing. That is to say, I didn’t dislike this story.
Overall, the stories are not connected and true to Harpman’s style many things are remained unanswered. Similar to what other reviews said, this may not be the best book to grab for your first Harpman experience. But, I do think everyone could benefit and take something from “The Ardennes Forest.”
Furthermore, “The Outcast” was a layered autopsy of an instance Harpman experienced in her youth. At first, I was not interested in this piece, but once she started to dive into her perception of intimacy, pride, and anger I felt very connected. I think many opinionated woman face similar reactions as Harpman did to goes against the grain (namely in times of political turmoil). Even as she is separated from her youth, she still holds so much of those emotions and is endless sparring with it. I find it beautiful.
The final story “The Broom Closet” was my least favorite. Harpman is diving into this sexual and adulterous multilayered fantasy a woman experiences. I think this story is great in theory, but in execution it did not quite hit for me. I found it to be less of a thought out narrative and instead more of stream of consciousness writing. That is to say, I didn’t dislike this story.
Overall, the stories are not connected and true to Harpman’s style many things are remained unanswered. Similar to what other reviews said, this may not be the best book to grab for your first Harpman experience. But, I do think everyone could benefit and take something from “The Ardennes Forest.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
ARC
I'd like to thank Transit Books and Edelweiss+ for the chance to give "We Were Forbidden" an early read in return for an honest review.
Jacqueline Harpman has written one of the most harrowing novels of all time with "I Who Have Never Known Men". The bleak story is transfixing and timely. We get similarly timely and bleak stories within "We Were Forbidden", a collection of three novellas, each focusing on some form of striving for something forbidden.
The opening story, focusing on a band of soldiers who are forbidden from interacting with anyone, or leaving their duties, is the most compelling story. The plot is the most intriguing of the bunch, being the most easily consummable. The second story, which focuses on a young woman's punishment for arguing an opposing view, has the most meat for discussion. The final story, focusing on a woman finding pleasure outside of her marriage, is the weakest, though I didn't find it to be slow or boring by any means.
Together, these three tales show varying forms of rebellion and bring up discussions of crossing societal lines that may be taboo for the time. I found Harpman's writing to be sleek and easily digestible, while still allowing complex themes to shine. It's a short collection, coming in a little over 100 pages, but each story leaves a lasting impact.
This may not get the accolades that "I Who Have Never Known Men" has, but I think this newly translated collection really shows the power that Harpman has as a storyteller.
Be sure to give "We Were Forbidden" a read when it is published on July 7, 2026.
I'd like to thank Transit Books and Edelweiss+ for the chance to give "We Were Forbidden" an early read in return for an honest review.
Jacqueline Harpman has written one of the most harrowing novels of all time with "I Who Have Never Known Men". The bleak story is transfixing and timely. We get similarly timely and bleak stories within "We Were Forbidden", a collection of three novellas, each focusing on some form of striving for something forbidden.
The opening story, focusing on a band of soldiers who are forbidden from interacting with anyone, or leaving their duties, is the most compelling story. The plot is the most intriguing of the bunch, being the most easily consummable. The second story, which focuses on a young woman's punishment for arguing an opposing view, has the most meat for discussion. The final story, focusing on a woman finding pleasure outside of her marriage, is the weakest, though I didn't find it to be slow or boring by any means.
Together, these three tales show varying forms of rebellion and bring up discussions of crossing societal lines that may be taboo for the time. I found Harpman's writing to be sleek and easily digestible, while still allowing complex themes to shine. It's a short collection, coming in a little over 100 pages, but each story leaves a lasting impact.
This may not get the accolades that "I Who Have Never Known Men" has, but I think this newly translated collection really shows the power that Harpman has as a storyteller.
Be sure to give "We Were Forbidden" a read when it is published on July 7, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Publishers Weekly
Read the rather lovely new Vintage Classics edition. Short read (83 pages), consisting of 3 very different stories. Apparently, they are linked by the theme of defiance, although they seemed more random to me than that. All the stories have female narrators. The first one - The Ardennes Forest - easily my favourite, is a post-apocalyptic scenario about a dwindling group of men and women, under orders to endlessly patrol a forest. We don't know under whose orders or what they are on the lookout for, and it seems maybe they don't know either. Barely surviving, with no end in sight, they find something that gives them pause to remember the lives they once had. The second story - The Outcast - is from the point of view of a schoolgirl, whose logical arguments find her ostracised. (The translator's note gives some autobiographical and historical context.) The final story, The Broom Cupboard, features a writer developing a 1920s novel about a woman's love affair and the consequences.
I haven't read Harpman before, and this was a good taster. I wasn't so taken with the second and third stories; I appreciated the ideas but found The Broom Cupboard, in particular, rather confusing in execution. But based on The Ardennes Forest alone, I definitely would read I Who Have Never Known Men, which I understand takes this further. I loved the eerie atmosphere and reflections on being trapped by lack of knowledge, pleasure in small comforts, and being overtaken by the passage of time. Overall for the collection - 3.5 rounded up. Many thanks to the publisher for a reading copy.
I haven't read Harpman before, and this was a good taster. I wasn't so taken with the second and third stories; I appreciated the ideas but found The Broom Cupboard, in particular, rather confusing in execution. But based on The Ardennes Forest alone, I definitely would read I Who Have Never Known Men, which I understand takes this further. I loved the eerie atmosphere and reflections on being trapped by lack of knowledge, pleasure in small comforts, and being overtaken by the passage of time. Overall for the collection - 3.5 rounded up. Many thanks to the publisher for a reading copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Only the reader gives meaning to a written message, without which is is like any random trace; a branch that the wind blows against a wall isn't Morse code and doesn't speak to anyone."
I went into this slightly blind, I had no idea that these were 3 separate stories by the author. After finishing this short read of only 85 pages, I have to conclude that I much prefer I Who Have Never Known Men. The first two stories were the most interesting to me, those being; 'The Ardennes Forest' which has the most similar feel to her previous book about a group of soldiers cut off from the world during a war and never coming across people or signs of life, growing old and pondering what could be happening in the world that they came from. The second being 'The Outcast' which is at least semi-autobiographical of Harpman growing up as a Jewish girl during WWII. The last story, however, fell slightly flat for me. Her writing definitely changed writing this as it is more the process of creating a character than any of her usual themes, and I found it somewhat confusing when we were switching between a character, reader, and then writer's POV. All things considered I still really enjoyed (especially the first story) and I would recommend it to any readers of 'I Who Have Never Known Men' who want another taste of her writing.
I went into this slightly blind, I had no idea that these were 3 separate stories by the author. After finishing this short read of only 85 pages, I have to conclude that I much prefer I Who Have Never Known Men. The first two stories were the most interesting to me, those being; 'The Ardennes Forest' which has the most similar feel to her previous book about a group of soldiers cut off from the world during a war and never coming across people or signs of life, growing old and pondering what could be happening in the world that they came from. The second being 'The Outcast' which is at least semi-autobiographical of Harpman growing up as a Jewish girl during WWII. The last story, however, fell slightly flat for me. Her writing definitely changed writing this as it is more the process of creating a character than any of her usual themes, and I found it somewhat confusing when we were switching between a character, reader, and then writer's POV. All things considered I still really enjoyed (especially the first story) and I would recommend it to any readers of 'I Who Have Never Known Men' who want another taste of her writing.
May 27, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss.
This was such a treat. I absolutely adored I Who Have Never Known Men, so I knew I had to pick up this newly translated collection from Jacqueline Harpman. And boy did it completely deliver.
The collection opens with The Ardennes Forest, which immediately pulled me in. It echoes the haunting atmosphere of I Who Have Never Known Men. It’s about a group of soldiers endlessly moving through a forest, following orders they don’t fully understand. It’s Harpman at her best, eerie, bleak, and quietly devastating.
Next is The Outcast, an autobiographical story set during World War II. It follows a young girl navigating schoolyard conflict that spirals into something much larger. This one really struck me. All about the hypocrisy and fragile allegiances that emerge in times of war, it’s sharp, poignant, and moving.
The final story was the weakest for me, though still compelling. It centers on a woman who invents a fictional character and imagines her adultery. It’s layered and intellectually interesting, but felt almost too intricate for its short length. Still, I liked it a lot.
At just over 100 pages, this collection is brief but impactful. Harpman doesn’t waste a word. Each story is unsettling and thought-provoking, just what lovers of I Who Have Never Known Men are looking for.
This was such a treat. I absolutely adored I Who Have Never Known Men, so I knew I had to pick up this newly translated collection from Jacqueline Harpman. And boy did it completely deliver.
The collection opens with The Ardennes Forest, which immediately pulled me in. It echoes the haunting atmosphere of I Who Have Never Known Men. It’s about a group of soldiers endlessly moving through a forest, following orders they don’t fully understand. It’s Harpman at her best, eerie, bleak, and quietly devastating.
Next is The Outcast, an autobiographical story set during World War II. It follows a young girl navigating schoolyard conflict that spirals into something much larger. This one really struck me. All about the hypocrisy and fragile allegiances that emerge in times of war, it’s sharp, poignant, and moving.
The final story was the weakest for me, though still compelling. It centers on a woman who invents a fictional character and imagines her adultery. It’s layered and intellectually interesting, but felt almost too intricate for its short length. Still, I liked it a lot.
At just over 100 pages, this collection is brief but impactful. Harpman doesn’t waste a word. Each story is unsettling and thought-provoking, just what lovers of I Who Have Never Known Men are looking for.
March 30, 2026
The Ardennes Forest 5/5⭐️
The Outcast 3/5⭐️
The Broom Closet 4/5⭐️
This is a collection of three short stories (rated above) by Harpman. I find that there is a theme of exploring humanity in her stories, the first one encompassed what I think I Who Have Never Known Men encompassed, which is the meaning of life. It was about soldiers doing a seemingly fruitless mission without knowing why. I think it also talks about the uselessness of war, and starkly shows how the only people who win a war are the elite people that start it, not the soldiers fighting it… I really enjoy books that talk about war in such a heavy handed way, but without spelling it out for you at the same time
The second short story is about a Jewish girl outcast in her class because she stood up to her best friend’s opinions. I found that story the most quotable of the book and it had female rage written all over the margins in big block letters.
The third story is about lust and want and greed… and stupidity. I wasn’t enjoying it in the beginning but when it clicked to me that the narrator was imagining herself to be this whole different lady with lustful murderous ideas I loved it!
The Outcast 3/5⭐️
The Broom Closet 4/5⭐️
This is a collection of three short stories (rated above) by Harpman. I find that there is a theme of exploring humanity in her stories, the first one encompassed what I think I Who Have Never Known Men encompassed, which is the meaning of life. It was about soldiers doing a seemingly fruitless mission without knowing why. I think it also talks about the uselessness of war, and starkly shows how the only people who win a war are the elite people that start it, not the soldiers fighting it… I really enjoy books that talk about war in such a heavy handed way, but without spelling it out for you at the same time
The second short story is about a Jewish girl outcast in her class because she stood up to her best friend’s opinions. I found that story the most quotable of the book and it had female rage written all over the margins in big block letters.
The third story is about lust and want and greed… and stupidity. I wasn’t enjoying it in the beginning but when it clicked to me that the narrator was imagining herself to be this whole different lady with lustful murderous ideas I loved it!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman and translated by Ros Schwartz is as elegant and complex as it gets. It was an honor to be able to read this in English.
This being my first read from Harpman, I can state that I am now a fan. I enjoyed all three novellas, but the second one stood out to me the most. Regardless, everything in this book is fantastic. The characters are memorable and relatable. The writing style is perfection. The settings are thoughtfully crafted. What amazes the most is Harpman’s ability to emphasize her writing versatility. Between the first and second story, I felt like I was reading a book from two different authors. Superb! One can make the comparison that Harpman had talents in the likes of a singer. She hits the highs and lows with ease. However, the writer is in a league of her own. I highly recommend this book! It’s easily one of my favorite books of the year. I need a physical copy of this one because it warrants multiple readings. A shoutout to Ros Schwartz for the excellent translation.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Transit Books for the advanced copy. I’m incredibly grateful. All opinions are my own.
This being my first read from Harpman, I can state that I am now a fan. I enjoyed all three novellas, but the second one stood out to me the most. Regardless, everything in this book is fantastic. The characters are memorable and relatable. The writing style is perfection. The settings are thoughtfully crafted. What amazes the most is Harpman’s ability to emphasize her writing versatility. Between the first and second story, I felt like I was reading a book from two different authors. Superb! One can make the comparison that Harpman had talents in the likes of a singer. She hits the highs and lows with ease. However, the writer is in a league of her own. I highly recommend this book! It’s easily one of my favorite books of the year. I need a physical copy of this one because it warrants multiple readings. A shoutout to Ros Schwartz for the excellent translation.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Transit Books for the advanced copy. I’m incredibly grateful. All opinions are my own.
May 26, 2026
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is my favorite book. Any time someone asks me what my favorite book is, that's my answer. So, I was incredibly excited to get my hands on an early copy of three more stories translated to English from Harpman. However, this did not work for me. If you are looking for an incredibly short and fast read, then maybe give this a try! I found the stories almost too short for their own good and really only enjoyed the first story in the collection (maybe because it feels most similar to I Who Have Never Known Men). It just did not meet my expectations, unfortunately, and the stories themselves were not enough to really pull me in and love them.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When I saw that Harpman had a new book coming out, I ran to NetGalley without hesitation. I Who Have Never Known Men is one of my all‑time favorites, so I knew this collection had impossibly big shoes to fill.
The first story is fantastic and, sadly, the only one that captures the eerie strangeness that Harpman does so well. A group of people wandering a forest, waiting for a summons that may never come, slowly dwindling in number. It’s devastating and unsettling and quietly profound. Exactly what I wanted.
The other two stories, though, never quite rise to that level. One follows a schoolgirl being silenced and ostracized for turning a classmate’s logic back on her. The other follows a writer who imagines an entire life for a fictional woman during a train ride. They’re fine, but they lack the atmospheric tension, the existential dread, the haunting atmosphere I was craving.
In the end, this collection has one standout stoe followed by two that fail to echo what makes Harpman’s work so compelling. Don't get me wrong. It's not bad. Just nowhere near the brilliance I know she can deliver.
The first story is fantastic and, sadly, the only one that captures the eerie strangeness that Harpman does so well. A group of people wandering a forest, waiting for a summons that may never come, slowly dwindling in number. It’s devastating and unsettling and quietly profound. Exactly what I wanted.
The other two stories, though, never quite rise to that level. One follows a schoolgirl being silenced and ostracized for turning a classmate’s logic back on her. The other follows a writer who imagines an entire life for a fictional woman during a train ride. They’re fine, but they lack the atmospheric tension, the existential dread, the haunting atmosphere I was craving.
In the end, this collection has one standout stoe followed by two that fail to echo what makes Harpman’s work so compelling. Don't get me wrong. It's not bad. Just nowhere near the brilliance I know she can deliver.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.25
Last year, I Who Have Never Known Men became one of my favorite books. This year, We Were Forbidden solidified Jacqueline Harpman as one of my favorite authors. I need to get my hands on her other translated book (also translated by Ros Schwartz!).
Harpman's writing is so beautiful. Something about it speaks directly to my soul. We Were Forbidden is a "startling trio of novellas...each plumbing the depths of that vital human instinct: defiance." Ooof - I needed this right now.
The first novella is easily my favorite: a woman is wandering the forest with her fellow survivors after a war, and they're forbidden from leaving its boundaries or pausing their "eternal march" through this seemingly never-ending landscape. It reminded me a lot of IWHNKM and that's probably why I loved it so much.
Each of the three stories I rated above 4 stars, I think this is a superb collection. The second story is autobiographical and the third is a story within a story that was equally funny and fascinating.
Big, big fan of this. I only hope that more of Jacqueline's work gets translated by the great Ros Schwartz. Highly recommend.
Last year, I Who Have Never Known Men became one of my favorite books. This year, We Were Forbidden solidified Jacqueline Harpman as one of my favorite authors. I need to get my hands on her other translated book (also translated by Ros Schwartz!).
Harpman's writing is so beautiful. Something about it speaks directly to my soul. We Were Forbidden is a "startling trio of novellas...each plumbing the depths of that vital human instinct: defiance." Ooof - I needed this right now.
The first novella is easily my favorite: a woman is wandering the forest with her fellow survivors after a war, and they're forbidden from leaving its boundaries or pausing their "eternal march" through this seemingly never-ending landscape. It reminded me a lot of IWHNKM and that's probably why I loved it so much.
Each of the three stories I rated above 4 stars, I think this is a superb collection. The second story is autobiographical and the third is a story within a story that was equally funny and fascinating.
Big, big fan of this. I only hope that more of Jacqueline's work gets translated by the great Ros Schwartz. Highly recommend.
Review of advance copy
A lot of us are going to pick up this collection hoping for more I Who Have Never Known Men. It’s best not to go into this with expectations!
The first story is about a group of soldiers wondering a forest. They have no idea if there’s still a war going on, but they continue to try to follow orders. I absolutely adored this one, and I definitely think readers of I Who Have Never Known Men will like it, too.
The second story is about a young girl learning (or maybe not learning?) a hard lesson about social expectations. I found it to be engaging and interesting, if a little slow moving. I loved the narrative voice and the mechanism of punishment was wild!
The third story is kind of meta. It’s in the POV of an author trying to write a story about a woman having an affair. We see her analyzing potential decisions her character makes, changing the course of the story, etc. At first I didn’t think I was gonna like this one but by the end I really enjoyed it.
Overall I’d recommend this collection if you loved I Who Have Never Known Men and want to appreciate the range this author can achieve!
The first story is about a group of soldiers wondering a forest. They have no idea if there’s still a war going on, but they continue to try to follow orders. I absolutely adored this one, and I definitely think readers of I Who Have Never Known Men will like it, too.
The second story is about a young girl learning (or maybe not learning?) a hard lesson about social expectations. I found it to be engaging and interesting, if a little slow moving. I loved the narrative voice and the mechanism of punishment was wild!
The third story is kind of meta. It’s in the POV of an author trying to write a story about a woman having an affair. We see her analyzing potential decisions her character makes, changing the course of the story, etc. At first I didn’t think I was gonna like this one but by the end I really enjoyed it.
Overall I’d recommend this collection if you loved I Who Have Never Known Men and want to appreciate the range this author can achieve!
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