A review by stephaniegrissel
The House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker
4.0
I was really surprised by this novel and I'm really glad I picked it up. To be honest I didn't know much about 1983 GDR. To me, the best thing about historical fiction is researching the history aspect of the novel and comparing facts with fiction. I love hearing the real stories and picking apart the novel to find out which parts were true and which were fiction. This story seems to be pretty accurate, which to me is very impressive.
The House of One Thousand Eyes tells the story of a young teen who lives in East Germany in 1983. One day, her uncle goes missing and no one seems to think he even existed in the first place. As Lena struggles to find out what happened, she realizes how much the government had actually been paying attention to her. And with them spying everywhere, if she's not careful, she could end up like her uncle.
At the beginning, the main character, Lena, seemed to me like she acted younger than her years. As the story went on though, I got a sense of who Lena was and what she was struggling with. I understood then, why she seemed a little too naïve at first. She started off "sleepwalking" through her life, but as she was forced to face the truth she began to wake up, she started to take action, and she seemed more her age. I really enjoyed reading about Lena and her journey. Her relationship with her uncle was incredibly sweet. Although her aunt was a little tough on her, you could tell she really cared about Lena and I found their relationship just as sweet.
Overall, I thought this book was really well written. It was very engaging and it's characters will stay with me for a long time.
The House of One Thousand Eyes tells the story of a young teen who lives in East Germany in 1983. One day, her uncle goes missing and no one seems to think he even existed in the first place. As Lena struggles to find out what happened, she realizes how much the government had actually been paying attention to her. And with them spying everywhere, if she's not careful, she could end up like her uncle.
At the beginning, the main character, Lena, seemed to me like she acted younger than her years. As the story went on though, I got a sense of who Lena was and what she was struggling with. I understood then, why she seemed a little too naïve at first. She started off "sleepwalking" through her life, but as she was forced to face the truth she began to wake up, she started to take action, and she seemed more her age. I really enjoyed reading about Lena and her journey. Her relationship with her uncle was incredibly sweet. Although her aunt was a little tough on her, you could tell she really cared about Lena and I found their relationship just as sweet.
Overall, I thought this book was really well written. It was very engaging and it's characters will stay with me for a long time.