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We Were Forbidden
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26From 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
Expected publication July 7, 2026
1319 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Harpman
33 books1,814 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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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
January 10, 2026
Three of the best short stories I’ve ever read.
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
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)
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
We Were Forbidden is a short collection of three stories by Jacqueline Harpman that has finally received an English translation. Arriving in the wake of the renewed success of I Who Have Never Known Men, this collection offers an excellent showcase of Harpman’s versatility.
The first story, "The Ardennes Forest," follows a group of soldiers patrolling a forest for so long they no longer know if the war has even ended. It evokes that same eerie, unsettling atmosphere that made her most famous novel so unforgettable. This is followed by "The Outcast," a semi-autobiographical story about the author as a young girl who defiantly stood her ground and defended her beliefs against the rigid structures of her school. The third story, "The Broom Closet," is a meandering reimagining of a young woman’s spectacular extramarital affair.
I highly enjoyed these three stories, and I would love to see more of Harpman’s work translated into English soon!
The first story, "The Ardennes Forest," follows a group of soldiers patrolling a forest for so long they no longer know if the war has even ended. It evokes that same eerie, unsettling atmosphere that made her most famous novel so unforgettable. This is followed by "The Outcast," a semi-autobiographical story about the author as a young girl who defiantly stood her ground and defended her beliefs against the rigid structures of her school. The third story, "The Broom Closet," is a meandering reimagining of a young woman’s spectacular extramarital affair.
I highly enjoyed these three stories, and I would love to see more of Harpman’s work translated into English soon!
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+
Many thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
'We were forbidden' deliciously dives into Harpmans interests and psychoanalytical mind. Three extraordinary short stories about women who are trapped, one way or an another. At times very funny as well.
Contains:
La fôret d'Ardenne
En quarantaine
Le placard à balais
'We were forbidden' deliciously dives into Harpmans interests and psychoanalytical mind. Three extraordinary short stories about women who are trapped, one way or an another. At times very funny as well.
Contains:
La fôret d'Ardenne
En quarantaine
Le placard à balais
Want to read
January 14, 2026Screaming. Crying.Throwing Up.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
first of the three was my favourite. jacqueline harpman I love you
Read
January 28, 2026okay loved getting to see how clever and funny Harpman could be — the dystopian stuff is good but I was so so delighted by the last story in this little collection
Want to read
January 30, 2026wdym I have to wait half a year to read this
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This book really feels like Jacqueline Harpman's style. The writing is simple but unsettling, it slowly makes you uncomfortable. This collection is good, but still can't beat I Who Have Never Known Men.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews