Women subdued by sexual and physical violence (both within and outside of marriage), and their objectification as sexual and reproductive objects are examined in Blow Your House Down, Union Street, and The Century's Daughter. The power of war to incite violence even within the private space of the family, along with the social propensity to control memory, such that the path is left open for further traumatization and repeated violence, is examined in Another World. Psychologists used therapy to support the state and legal systems, and to reinforce the social order by attempting to return men to war and prison in the Regeneration trilogy and Border Crossing. In the trilogy, Dr. Rivers struggles with reconciling his professional mandate and his compassion for emotionally and physically devastated soldiers. Border Crossing and Double Vision also challenge notions of fixed identity, knowledge, and relationships by demonstrating they are fluid and malleable, rather than predetermined.
Waterman gets to the heart of Barker's project, that is, to examine and challenge the ways the powerful represent their version of reality, taken as truth, to create “docile, unquestioning subjects” (p. 169). In the company of such contemporary writers as Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Dorothy Allison, Jamaica Kincaid, Larry Heinemann, Marguerite Duras, Reinaldo Arenas, and others, Barker is a significant figure who examines the effects of historical and social traumas, particularly on those marginalized by class, race, gender, sexuality, and age. Like these authors, Barker sees the symptoms of individual trauma as evidence of what Waterman terms “a larger social disease” of societies ruled by self-deception and the need to reinforce themselves, despite the evidence of the horrific consequences of their actions. Waterman highlights the value of Barker's work as social commentary, and makes readers aware of her artistry in creating the rich inner lives of her complex characters and their multiple discourses, in which she offers ways to rethink enormous social and personal issues with a compellingly clear call for revisioning our world.
—Laurie Vickroy
Professor of English,
Bradley University