The Diamond Eye – Kate Quinn (Harper Collins, $32.99) Reviewers: Louise Ward, Wardini Books
This novel is based on the real-life story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, one of the Red Army's most lethal snipers of World War II. With 309 confirmed kills by the end of her war, Mila earned the nicknameLady Death.
We first meet Mila as a student of history, either working on her studies in Kiev's library, or at a lathe to earn money to support her small son. Married and a mother at 15, Mila is separated and seeking a divorce from her overbearing husband, whose only wish seems to be to control and undermine her. Included in Mila's skill set is an ability to shoot, and she trains for and receives her advanced certificate in a bid to be both mother and father to little Slavka.
When Nazi forces advance into Russia, Mila joins the Red Army, knowing that her skills are essential. There are many moments in her initial training when her predominantly male counterparts doubt her, and she is forced to prove herself through action. Mila seems to be able to switch off one personality (mother, student) in order to channel her other persona: calm, efficient, skilled – a killer.
The narrative concentrates on Mila's experiences as a woman. It is clear that women in the army are at risk, not only from the enemy, whose female-specific tortures are made clear, but from men in their own ranks. Mila and any female counterpart watch one another's backs until strong relationships with the men around them can be formed.
The novel is interesting from a historical point of view also. Ukraine is, at the time the novel takes place, part of the Soviet Union. Although the author could not have predicted the present situation, there are subtle references to Ukrainian independence. Mila, of Kiev, views herself as Russian and the complex history of the region is from a Russian viewpoint, but there are other characters who voice other opinions.
Kate Quinn writes big, thick books, fictionalising historical women, and makes every word essential. Mila's war, her fight to protect her son, her deep and abiding loves in a time of fear and uncertainty, are compelling reading. The injustice of war, its mud, blood and inhumanity, are related unflinchingly, and Mila's surprising relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt and the Russian delegation's tour of the US to gain support are fascinating and again, historically accurate. You'll finish this novel and want to look up Lyudmila Pavlichenko, and it will be worth falling down that rabbit hole.
