The Eye in the Door
by Pat Barker
published
April 1st 1995
(first published 1993)
by Plume
edit
binding
Paperback, 288 pages
literary awards
1993 Guardian Fiction Award
isbn
0452272726
(isbn13: 9780452272729)
description
The Eye in the Door is the second installation of Pat Barker's acclaimed and haunting historical fiction trilogy about British soldiers traumat...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 444)
Read in May, 2008
Although it feels very different for some reason to me than the preceding book, Regeneration, Eye in the Door is a just as fascinating look at psychological trauma and political conflict during WWI. Because this book revolves primarily around an entirely nonfictional character, Billy Prior, rather than some of the historically present characters like Sassoon, Graves, and others, it definitely reads more like a piece of fiction than Regeneration did. Nonetheless, Prior was in the first book one o...more
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This is the second installment of British novelist Pat Barker's prize-winning WW1 trilogy (the first is "Regeneration"). I've always had an interest in WW1 but have read very little about it. Barker's work mixes real and fictitious characters to paint a picture of Britain during wartime and the effects of the incredibly brutal combat on injured soldiers.
I'd say both volumes are worth reading - I liked this one better than the first, I think because I find Barker's fictional creation,...more
I'd say both volumes are worth reading - I liked this one better than the first, I think because I find Barker's fictional creation,...more
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Five stars for brilliance, one for enjoyment (we're working with a flawed rating system). The second installment of the Regeneration trilogy presents one the most complex psychological portraits I’ve ever read, made more complex by the fact I had to read it through one half-closed eye because of the occasional graphic depictions of gay sex. However, there’s more to the book than insight into new territory (which normally I appreciate, but not so much here). The story goes outside Crag...more
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Read in January, 2008
I was looking forward to The Eye in the Door, the second book in a trilogy by Pat Barker, whose Regeneration is superb, one of the best books I've read in years. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who hadn't read that book. There are some very very striking images and passages, but I don't think the action is so clear as it might be. It begins with a very explicitly described scene of gay sex, which is okay with me, but too much of the book for my taste focuses on a particula...more
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Read in April, 2007
The second book in the 'Regeneration' trilogy, 'The Eye in the Door' is just as impressive a book as the first installment, if not more so. Barker's use of language is just superb. Never showy or overly lyrical, but absolutely measured, each word feeling lyrical and right. Sassoon is involved less in this volume, with most of the events centred around Billy Prior and to a slightly lesser extent on Rivers. I think it works very well, because you have Billy set up as a liminal character—s...more
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Read in October, 2008
I was very pleased to come across this, as I read Regeneration about a year ago and have been meaning to read the rest of the trilogy.
The central character here is Billy Prior. His tortured inner life, and secretive public persona, are a sort of touchstone for the author's exploration of many kinds of dissidence during the First World War. Marching to a different drummer, indeed. Looking forward to the final instalment!
The central character here is Billy Prior. His tortured inner life, and secretive public persona, are a sort of touchstone for the author's exploration of many kinds of dissidence during the First World War. Marching to a different drummer, indeed. Looking forward to the final instalment!
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Read in August, 2008
This volume was much more...intimate than 'Regeneration,' the first in the trilogy. So much so that it opened with a pick-up in the park and sex in an empty house in the first five pages.
I enjoyed it more than 'Regeneration' - I like to be close to my characters; this had fewer and more time was spent with them one-on-one, less a panoramic view. I also have a weakness for multiple personality disorder. The historical note at the end, explaining the facts behind 'The Cult of the Clitoris' an...more
I enjoyed it more than 'Regeneration' - I like to be close to my characters; this had fewer and more time was spent with them one-on-one, less a panoramic view. I also have a weakness for multiple personality disorder. The historical note at the end, explaining the facts behind 'The Cult of the Clitoris' an...more
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Read in May, 2008
Book Two in this trilogy turns more towards the homefront. As England suffers continued heavy casualties throughout 1917 and into 1918, the public begins to lash out more and more at scapegoats. The main character of this novel, Billy Prior, is a secret embodiment of these scapegoats, yet as a wounded soldier (and patient of Dr. Rivers, the neurologist followed throughout the trilogy) he is forced to take part in the witchhunt. Duality, Ms. Barker's favorite thing...
The Eye in the Door is yet ...more
The Eye in the Door is yet ...more
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Read in January, 1998
I was blown away by the Regeneration trilogy (although as with many trilogies, I liked the first and third books best, especially the third). A powerful and lasting depiction of WWI and its wreckage, based on real and fictional people intermingled in a world so realistic it's hard to emerge.
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
World War I buffs, also people into gay erotica, which kind of surprised me.
This was a very different book from Regeneration, its predecessor, yet it was still mesmerizing. Barker's best skill is subtlety-- there's no clumsy exposition or over-stressing of themes or emotions. I'm going to take a Barker break before I read The Ghost Road, cause I want to savor it. Also, regarding my gay erotica comment, one opening scene has a pretty descriptive (Barker gives some great and subtle insight into the two characters with this scene, so it doesn't feel superf...more
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Read in June, 2008
I loved the continuation of this trilogy.
This novel is split between citizens facing wartime surveillance and Rivers facing the consequences of having used his influence to push men back into the war.
Barker seamlessly incorporates huge themes in her plot: the regulation of sexuality and gender identity during wartime; how women's and socialist movements are affected by war; and the conflicts of a pacifist during wartime.
Looking forward to the third.
This novel is split between citizens facing wartime surveillance and Rivers facing the consequences of having used his influence to push men back into the war.
Barker seamlessly incorporates huge themes in her plot: the regulation of sexuality and gender identity during wartime; how women's and socialist movements are affected by war; and the conflicts of a pacifist during wartime.
Looking forward to the third.
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Read in December, 2004
This sequel to Regeneration is equally excellent and moving. Having focused on pacifism in the previous novel, this one focuses on the other scapegoat of the era, homosexuality. Barker is adept at showing her characters at their worst and yet never allowing the reader to lose sympathy; even the worst villains are at least a little sympathetic. Finishing this was a little like coming out of a dream; I looked up and expected to see WWI era London around me.
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Read in March, 1997
The second book in a great trilogy - Eye in the Door is the weakest of the three books. However, it is still worth reading.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
WWI aficionados, queer readers
This is the 2nd in a trilogy about WWI in England. But its also ever so much more than that--the books brings in histroy, psychology, homosexuality, and the differences between men at the front and the ones who stayed behind.
SUCH a powerful book, right up there with the 1st installment <i>Regeneration< /i>. So amazing. A little graphic at times, in terms of both sex and violence, but its so tremendously lovely and heart-breaking. I loved it.
SUCH a powerful book, right up there with the 1st installment <i>Regeneration< /i>. So amazing. A little graphic at times, in terms of both sex and violence, but its so tremendously lovely and heart-breaking. I loved it.
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