We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman

A startling new collection of three never-before-translated stories, from the author of I Who Have Never Known Men 

In the wake of some unfathomable war, a woman wanders the forest, forbidden from ever leaving its strange depths. As part of her rigid schooling, a teenage girl is barred from questioning the dogma she is taught to believe. Locked in a loveless marriage, a young woman satisfies her husband’s desires, twice-weekly, as directed – until she begins to pursue her own. 

Includes the stories: The Ardennes Forest, The Outcast and The Broom Cupboard 

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days