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A review by willowbiblio
The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker
5.0
"That's a very dangerous idea. It comes quite close to saying that the willingness to suffer proves the rightness of belief. But it doesn't. The most it can ever prove is the believer's sincerity. And not always that. Some people just like suffering."
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An excellent read yet again. This second novel in the Regeneration trilogy takes the reader out of the relative isolation of Craiglockhart and into the chaos of London.
Prior is shown as a character that, despite having been deemed fit for desk duty, is still grappling with his identity as a result of his time in France. We learn that he is in fact carrying a lifetime of trauma and dysfunction. The war experiences led him to reuse a childhood tactic of extreme disassociation, and we are shown that there is always more to uncover within the self. He is unable to reconcile his ability to betray a childhood friend who he hates for not participating in the war. Mac’s refusal to submit to the suffering Prior and others are forced to endure is so untenable to him that he turns him in in a dissociative episode.
In fact, the novel takes a much closer look at the dynamic between “conchies”, the general public, and those who serve despite fear and personal qualms. Dr. Rivers expresses exasperation at the potential loss of “conchie” orderlies while acknowledging the clear reasons for outrage at their presence in the place soldiers are recuperating.
Manning is used to reflect the atmosphere of suspicion and blame, as well as the prevailing attitude toward homosexuality. Through the perspectives of Prior and Manning we are given the almost tactile sensation of paranoia that nearly everyone dealt with at that time.
The return of Sassoon forces Rivers to once again face his culpability and this time decide if he will choose a new outcome for someone important to him. It’s also one of the first times he is faced with the reality that in teaching men to get in touch with their feelings and lived experiences in order to return to service, he is making that return impossible as anything other than a living hell. Sassoon makes it clear that the only way to survive is by turning off the feeling aspect of oneself, which is impossible once they have been treated by Rivers. It begs the question- is Rivers causing harm or rather the determination that these men must return to active duty, slaughter, and total devastation?
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An excellent read yet again. This second novel in the Regeneration trilogy takes the reader out of the relative isolation of Craiglockhart and into the chaos of London.
Prior is shown as a character that, despite having been deemed fit for desk duty, is still grappling with his identity as a result of his time in France. We learn that he is in fact carrying a lifetime of trauma and dysfunction. The war experiences led him to reuse a childhood tactic of extreme disassociation, and we are shown that there is always more to uncover within the self. He is unable to reconcile his ability to betray a childhood friend who he hates for not participating in the war. Mac’s refusal to submit to the suffering Prior and others are forced to endure is so untenable to him that he turns him in in a dissociative episode.
In fact, the novel takes a much closer look at the dynamic between “conchies”, the general public, and those who serve despite fear and personal qualms. Dr. Rivers expresses exasperation at the potential loss of “conchie” orderlies while acknowledging the clear reasons for outrage at their presence in the place soldiers are recuperating.
Manning is used to reflect the atmosphere of suspicion and blame, as well as the prevailing attitude toward homosexuality. Through the perspectives of Prior and Manning we are given the almost tactile sensation of paranoia that nearly everyone dealt with at that time.
The return of Sassoon forces Rivers to once again face his culpability and this time decide if he will choose a new outcome for someone important to him. It’s also one of the first times he is faced with the reality that in teaching men to get in touch with their feelings and lived experiences in order to return to service, he is making that return impossible as anything other than a living hell. Sassoon makes it clear that the only way to survive is by turning off the feeling aspect of oneself, which is impossible once they have been treated by Rivers. It begs the question- is Rivers causing harm or rather the determination that these men must return to active duty, slaughter, and total devastation?