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Pat Barker

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The Eye in the Door (Regeneration Trilogy Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Pat Barker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

518

Book 2 of 3: Regeneration

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The second installment in the Regeneration Trilogy

It is the spring of 1918, and Britain is faced with the possibility of defeat by Germany. A beleaguered government and a vengeful public target two groups as scapegoats: pacifists and homosexuals. Many are jailed, others lead dangerous double lives, the "the eye in the door" becomes a symbol of the paranoia that threatens to destroy the very fabric of British society.

Central to this novel are such compelling, richly imagined characters as the brilliant and compassionate Dr. William Rivers; his most famous patient, the poet Siegfried Sassoon; and Lieutenant Billy Prior, who plays a central role as a domestic intelligence agent. With compelling, realistic dialogue and a keen eye for the social issues that have gone overlooked in mainstream media, The Eye in the Door is a triumph that equals Regeneration and the third novel in the trilogy, the 1995 Booker Prize-winning The Ghost Road, establishing Pat Barker's place in the very forefront of contemporary novelists.

Book 2 of 3

Regeneration
Print length

286 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Plume
Publication date

December 31, 2013
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

2233 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Eye in the Door is the second installation of Pat Barker's acclaimed and haunting historical fiction trilogy about British soldiers traumatized by World War I trench warfare and the methods used by psychiatrist William Rivers to treat them. As with the other two, the book was recognized with awards, winning the 1993 Guardian Fiction Prize. Here, Lieutenant Billy Prior is tormented by figuring out which side of several coins does he live -- coward or hero, crazy or sane, homosexual or heterosexual, upper class or lower. He represents the upheaval in Britain during the war and the severe trauma felt by its soldiers. The writing is sparse yet multilayered; Barker uses the lives of a few to capture an entire society during a tumultuous period.

From Publishers Weekly

British writer Barker's ability to invest what appears to be a simple narrative with many levels of meaning and to convey a harrowing story in spare, uncluttered prose was amply demonstrated in her acclaimed previous novel, Regeneration . This quietly powerful story begins in 1917, where Regeneration left off; the epigraph from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde hints at what is to come, referring to "the two natures that contended in . . . my consciousness." Though not as flamboyant as Stevenson's protagonist(s), all the main characters here are leading double lives, some consciously, others as a result of traumatic experiences. Having been released from Craiglockhart War Hospital (where shell-shock victims are sent to convalesce), Lt. Billy Prior is still concealing his working-class origins. Assigned to the Intelligence Unit, he must betray the very people who sheltered him when he was young, and soon his conscious mind succumbs to the pressure. If Prior has "a foot on both sides of the fence," so has patrician Charles Manning, who must conceal his homosexuality. Even the director of Craiglockhart, W.H.R. Rivers (an eminent neurologist and social anthropologist in real life) suffers from a mysterious loss of visual memory, stemming from a buried incident in his youth. And poet Siegfried Sasson again struggles to reconcile his pacifist beliefs with his need to stand by his men in battle. As in the earlier book, Barker uses their interaction to illuminate the terrible effects of conflict, but here she broadens her canvas to include the conscientious objectors, socialists and homosexuals who were accused of treasonous behavior during WW I. The multi-suggestive title applies to the hysterial outcry against "outsiders"; the observation hole in the prison door, behind which pacifists are jailed; the "eye in the door of the mind" that triggers dissociated states; and the particulars of a notorious court case of 1917 in which a demented bigot, supported by a prominent MP, accused 47,000 Englishmen and women of homosexuality, which ostensibly made them vulnerable to German blackmail. Writing with cool understatement, Barker conveys with equal skill the desperation of men suffering from battlefield trauma, the subtle ramifications of class distinctions in a period of rapid social change and the quality of life in Britain's poverty-stricken industrial areas. As haunting as its predecessor, this moving antiwar novel is also a cautionary tale about the price of cultural conformity.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Revisiting World War I England to explore war and its effects on individuals and society, Barker brings back characters that readers will remember from Regeneration(LJ 3/1/92), including bisexual war hero Billy Prior and psychiatrist William Rivers. In 1918, the war was not going well for the Allies, and hysteria took root-the targets being pacifists and homosexuals, who were allegedly open to blackmail. Prior has connections to a group of pacifists who are being persecuted, and he also suffers from psychological episodes in which his personality alters dramatically. Dr. Rivers treats both Prior and other homosexuals on "The 47,000," a list of all purported gays in Britain. This book lacks some of the emotional impact of Regeneration, but the plot is more complex and makes for a more compelling work. Recommended for most fiction collections.
C. Christopher Pavek, Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett, Inc. Information Ctr., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Characters from Barker's acclaimed previous novel, Regeneration, feature prominently in her latest one, an intense portrayal of lives touched by the pain and suffering of World War I. The narrative, set in 1918, focuses on witch-hunts that occurred in Great Britain, with homosexuals and pacifists as the targets of widespread persecution. Lt. Billy Prior is a fascinating, pivotal figure. A bisexual afflicted with a split personality disorder, Prior functions with significant difficulty as an intelligence officer caught between his working-class background and the upper-class military peers with whom he works. The relationship he forms with Dr. Rivers, a psychiatrist, and Rivers' empathetic relationships with other patients emerge as the backbone of a potent story, woven flawlessly with a stunning antiwar sentiment. Alice Joyce

From Kirkus Reviews

Barker's Regeneration (1992) was a fine novelistic reconstruction of the psychiatric mission to heal British officers damaged by World War I horrors; this equally impressive companion volume investigates personal and societal breakdown in the war's final stages. London, April 1918. Haig has issued an order to ``fight on to the end.'' Civil liberties are being eroded, with pacifists and homosexuals the scapegoats. A woman pacifist, Beattie Roper, is doing time for ``plotting'' to kill Prime Minister Lloyd George, convicted on the evidence of Spragge, a government informer. There have been strikes in munition factories; their organizer, Patrick MacDowell, is on the run. Caught in the middle between the government and its ragtag opposition is Lieutenant Billy Prior. The working-class officer and ``temporary gentleman'' (class differences permeate the novel), last seen as one of neurologist Rivers's most difficult patients, now works for British Intelligence. His loyalties are divided; Mac was his closest childhood friend, while Beattie was a surrogate mother, but overarching those affections are his ties to the men in the trenches (``Picard clay was a powerful glue''). The agent provocateur Spragge is his one clear external enemy; his internal enemies are still legion. He starts experiencing fugue states (blackouts) that increasingly hamper his ability to hunt for Mac and battle Sprague until, undergoing more therapy, he and Rivers discover their childhood origin. Barker ingeniously meshes Prior's private demons with his public sleuthing in a fast-moving narrative that dazzles with its profusion of memorable cameos and encounters. Regeneration was dominated by the all too real Craiglockhart hospital and therapeutic practice; this work is dominated by the wholly fictional, marvelously complex Prior and is more satisfying novelistically. Together they form a remarkable achievement. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Writing with cool understatement, Barker conveys with equal skill the desperation of men suffering from battlefield trauma, the subtle ramifications of class distinctions in a period of rapid social change and the quality of life in Britain's poverty-stricken industrial areas. As haunting as its predecessor, this moving antiwar novel is also a cautionary tale about the price of cultural conformity. -- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

PAT BARKER has earned a place in the first rank of contemporary British writers with such novels as Union Street, Regeneration (shortlisted for Britain's prestigious Booker Prize and chosen by the New York Times as one of the four best novels of 1992), The Eye in the Door (winner of the 1993 Guardian fiction prize), and The Ghost Road (winner of the 1995 Booker Prize). The latter three novels are available in Dutton hardcover and Plume paperback editions. Pat Barker lives in Durham, England.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NCPGV16
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plume; Reprint edition (December 31, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 31, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2233 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 286 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #219,160 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #279 in British & Irish Literary Fiction
- #1,121 in Military Historical Fiction
- #1,182 in Historical British & Irish Literature

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

518 global ratings

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doc peterson

an interesting crossroads of social class, sexuality and morality

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2012

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In Pat Barker's sequel to Regeneration , Billy Prior is the primary focus of the story rather than Sigfried Sassoon. This change of focus allows her to manipulate, examine and critique a wider number of issues: social class (Prior is of working-class origins, but can "pass" for a gentleman), of sexuality (he is enthusiastically bi-sexual), and of course the morality of war, as Prior is treated by Army psychiastrist Dr. Rivers who continues to wrestle with the ethical delimna of "curing" the shell-shocked only to return them to the hellish situation that created their nuroses in the first place.

In _Eye in the Door_ we get a stronger sense of who Dr. Rivers is (the character is loosely based on a real-life psychiatrist), but the primary focus of the story is Prior - a charming character with a wickedly sharp mind and a cynical outlook, the setting more in London than Craiglockhart hospital. As much as I liked Prior, I much preferred the back-and-forth between Sasson and Rivers that is such a crucial part of _Regeneration_. However, its not the characters that make this such a tremendous book (and such a powerful series), its Barker's social commentary: the waste of life in a pointless conflict; the place and role of women as objects - for sex and for labor asmunitions workers; of the differing attitudes towards (and between) social class. This is the real heart of the story. The glaring light under which Barker shows the inconsistencies and prejustices of the last century and her sharp critique of early 20th century British society earns the book five-stars.

3 people found this helpful

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Thuringer

Regeneration, Part II

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2012

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The trilogy is the best depiction of the impact of trench warfare on the British office/poofter class I've read. The series strength lies in the use of detailed, insightful psychological analysis conducted by the real life Dr. W. H. R. Rivers and the inter-relation between the various patents and Rivers' own mental states. Particularly moving and prominent in this book, is Rivers' fight against barbaric methods of treatment popular at the time.

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D. Crowell

Remarkable trilogy! Book II doesn't disappoint

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2012

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While Regeneration was amazing, each book in the trilogy succeeds in its own way and I truly can't say which I liked the most. Pat Barker is one of the finest writers I have read in years, and I have read most of the classics, and most of the top literary books of the time. It is important to enjoy the British voice which is understated with a quiet dry humor and lots of subtext. The historical accuracy is impressive. I am a fan of the Brits but if you are not, and prefer Russian novels stylistically instead, then this book may not be for you. I had been warned that the WWI stuff was depressing to read, but I did not find this trilogy depressing in any way. The strength of the human spirit and the courage of the British was inspiring to read and Rivers is a character I wish I could have known in real life. Start with Regeneration before reading this book. You will be in for a great treat. Great on the Kindle/ipad because the online dictionary is handy and adds to the reading.

4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Printing Hiccup ? Last page missing.

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2023

Verified Purchase

i really enjoy Pat Barker. This trilogy is very powerful. The reason I gave it 3 stars is due I assume to a printing error. The last page (in the book } ends in mid sentence .No .period, Is the actual last page missing ? I don't know.
irritating ? Yes. As the middle book of this Trilogy I have pretty good idea of the story.
How many copies are this way. Who Knows,

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Red Fox

Excellent. A bit dry in the first third but a good follow up to “Restoration”

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2019

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Recommended to those enjoyed the somewhat excellent book in this series (of three): “Regeneration” being the first and best book. . The characters, their poetry, the hospital, Dr Weeks and The Great War really existed.

2 people found this helpful

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Robert Macfarlane

Fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2019

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Beautifully written, poignant and horrific. Startling today to think what madness unconstrained patriotism can evoke. It is almost certain a similar book could have been written about the other side.

One person found this helpful

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Elisa DeCarlo

Wonderful book

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is an incredible portrait of soldiers trying to survive the emotional wounds of World War One. Part of the Regeneration Trilogy. A phenomenal trio of books.

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J Darragh

All books in this trilogy are excellent and I learned things about the first World War ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016

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All books in this trilogy are excellent and I learned things about the first World War that I had never heard of.

2 people found this helpful

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CHARVOLEN A.

Interesting psychology

Reviewed in France on March 30, 2024

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It is very easy to identify with the characters in this novel who are very precisely and finely portrayed within a context of life over the wartime period. I liked this novel very much.

mr stephen paul wild

Daughter number 2 loves this author

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2024

Verified Purchase

Daughter loves this book well written a good read

M.J.Harding

Brilliant

Reviewed in Australia on December 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Deeply insightful of man's consistent in-consistency

Malini Gazdar

... morE convinced than ever of the futility of the Great War.

Reviewed in India on February 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

It continued my fascination with the story of the characters and left me morE convinced than ever of the futility of the Great War.

Sury

Aún estoy esperando

Reviewed in Spain on October 24, 2012

Verified Purchase

Hice el pedido el dos de Octubre y llegaría antes del 8. Pues bien, sigo esperando y estamos a 24 de Octubre. Veremos a ver si llega al final o me como las doce uvas leyendo el libro que vamos a empezar a dar ya en la Universidad.

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The Eye in the Door (Regeneration Trilogy Book 2) Kindle Edition

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