Pat Barker
It's been quite a while since I read the first book in Barker's aptly-named Regeneration trilogy, but upon picking up The Eye in the Door I was transported instantly back to Great War-era Britain and the troubles of men scarred in obvious and not-so-obvious ways by the epic scale of the horrors of trench warfare. That Barker even attempts to evoke the psychological trauma of a war well past common memory is admirable, and the tenderness and skill with which she accomplishes the task is simply astounding. Barker manages to weave distinct elements of social and political criticism into a gripping human story, throwing some elements of the mystery genre and scientific psychology for good measure. The Eye in the Door keeps its critical focus throughout, but the book's obvious antiwar stance never overwhelms the story at hand and in fact enhances it by adding another dimension to her tale. Barker also does an incredible job of tying together actual historical events and fictional characters and stories, giving her work a breath of authenticity while maintaining a strong editorial grasp on her material. The story feels real and its main attention to a fictional protagonist, Billy Prior, reinforces its genuine concern with the war's effects; Barker knows just which historical details to keep and which to bend or invent to achieve the maximum effects of authenticity and emotion in her readers.
The Eye in the Door focuses, like Regeneration, on the shell-shocked and otherwise mentally wounded casualties of the Great War and its brutal trenches. The war itself is viewed only through flashbacks but is presented nonetheless in excruciating and vivid detail. That the trenches are such a presence in this novel speaks to the power that post-traumatic stress can hold over those who have seen horrific things. Each of the main characters must deal with the wounds of war in different ways, and Barker's novel widens the scope of its effects to include a group of pacifists who raise interesting ethical issues about the existence and conduct of the war. Barker manages to create a Britain that ignores its predicament on the Front and turns instead to witch hunts against pacifists and homosexuals, and though Barker is clear on where she stands on these respective issues the novel never becomes didactic. Different characters muse themselves on the effects of the war and of the pacifists who have taken to actively fighting against it. The Eye in the Door successfully conjures a powerful and often untouched image of a home front during a war far more vicious than any previous conflagration and does its many elements justice. Barker's prose immediately places the reader into the action and, though a few sex scenes seem unnecessarily graphic and some plot elements are initially confusing and too hastily and murkily resolved, The Eye in the Door is a brilliant and immersive glimpse into the Britain of the Great War and the demons it creates and fosters, both in and out of the trenches.
Grade: A
The Eye in the Door focuses, like Regeneration, on the shell-shocked and otherwise mentally wounded casualties of the Great War and its brutal trenches. The war itself is viewed only through flashbacks but is presented nonetheless in excruciating and vivid detail. That the trenches are such a presence in this novel speaks to the power that post-traumatic stress can hold over those who have seen horrific things. Each of the main characters must deal with the wounds of war in different ways, and Barker's novel widens the scope of its effects to include a group of pacifists who raise interesting ethical issues about the existence and conduct of the war. Barker manages to create a Britain that ignores its predicament on the Front and turns instead to witch hunts against pacifists and homosexuals, and though Barker is clear on where she stands on these respective issues the novel never becomes didactic. Different characters muse themselves on the effects of the war and of the pacifists who have taken to actively fighting against it. The Eye in the Door successfully conjures a powerful and often untouched image of a home front during a war far more vicious than any previous conflagration and does its many elements justice. Barker's prose immediately places the reader into the action and, though a few sex scenes seem unnecessarily graphic and some plot elements are initially confusing and too hastily and murkily resolved, The Eye in the Door is a brilliant and immersive glimpse into the Britain of the Great War and the demons it creates and fosters, both in and out of the trenches.
Grade: A
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