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enoughgaiety's review against another edition
4.0
One of Barker's best novels, I think, especially in the strength of its characterization and the purity of its prose, which is lucid and poetic and devoid of artifice. Look at this:
He drank [coffee] sitting by the window, the hot fluid delineating his oesophagus, another part of his living body reclaimed from the dark.... All the time he was debriefing himself, sorting out the dream. He knew if he didn't take time to do this, it could stain and corrupt the whole day.
Also notable: the thoughtfulness of its examination of art and the position of spectatorship, particularly related to war photography. "The shadow says I'm here"; the observer effect is inescapable. When you consider how much Barker writes about war and violence (and how she had the audacity to write a war she didn't even witness in [b:the Regeneration trilogy|5877|The Regeneration Trilogy|Pat Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165553448s/5877.jpg|1157830]), it's a pretty daring commentary.
And finally, there is nothing, nothing, that I don't love about this description of Justine:
No mention of grades. Bright and modest, or so perfectionist that no grades were good enough? There was nothing sharp or quick about her, nothing obviously clever--she seemed, if anything, rather hesitant. Young for her age. Painfully young. He kept getting this sense of pain from her--and yet she sounded cheerful enough.
Read the Regeneration trilogy first, especially if WWI is your bag; but after you've absorbed that, come back for this quieter book.
He drank [coffee] sitting by the window, the hot fluid delineating his oesophagus, another part of his living body reclaimed from the dark.... All the time he was debriefing himself, sorting out the dream. He knew if he didn't take time to do this, it could stain and corrupt the whole day.
Also notable: the thoughtfulness of its examination of art and the position of spectatorship, particularly related to war photography. "The shadow says I'm here"; the observer effect is inescapable. When you consider how much Barker writes about war and violence (and how she had the audacity to write a war she didn't even witness in [b:the Regeneration trilogy|5877|The Regeneration Trilogy|Pat Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165553448s/5877.jpg|1157830]), it's a pretty daring commentary.
And finally, there is nothing, nothing, that I don't love about this description of Justine:
No mention of grades. Bright and modest, or so perfectionist that no grades were good enough? There was nothing sharp or quick about her, nothing obviously clever--she seemed, if anything, rather hesitant. Young for her age. Painfully young. He kept getting this sense of pain from her--and yet she sounded cheerful enough.
Read the Regeneration trilogy first, especially if WWI is your bag; but after you've absorbed that, come back for this quieter book.
eleong's review against another edition
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel -- set in the events of 9/11, the novel dealt with the aftermath of covering war and how the individual characters swirled around one another and yet were truly alone in their anxieties and fears. Barker has a lovely way of letting her readers get to know the characters by having other characters react and describe them. This is a novel about very lonely people, lonely by choice and by circumstance. Each has glimpses of moving past their grief and, in a way, their pasts but those moments are short-lived and rare.
ariannam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I did, for quite a long time, believe this book would take an entirely different turn. And that just did not happen, which surprised me. I was blindsided by the happening towards the end, but then I suppose when things like that happen, that's how you feel.
I loved the narration, and the pace, and the focalisation on different characters. I loved the meditations on representations of pain, war, suffering, death, violence, the emotions they do or do not induce, and what they mean. The introspective writing, and some of the descriptions of everyday things, were very beautiful to read, because they felt truthful. Some reflections on faith, too, I liked very much. Not up to four stars—I really can't put my finger on why—but almost there.
I loved the narration, and the pace, and the focalisation on different characters. I loved the meditations on representations of pain, war, suffering, death, violence, the emotions they do or do not induce, and what they mean. The introspective writing, and some of the descriptions of everyday things, were very beautiful to read, because they felt truthful. Some reflections on faith, too, I liked very much. Not up to four stars—I really can't put my finger on why—but almost there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Medical content, Violence, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Rape
emscji's review against another edition
3.0
5/20/2004: Contemporary political/journalistic/love story; suspense, lots of parallels between how one "sees" in one's own life vs how one sees as a journalist the horrors of war. Great story, very thought-provoking.
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