Book Review: "The Diamond Eye" by Kate Quinn

 

“Knowledge, to light the path for humankind,” I said at last. “And this”—patting my rifle— “to protect humankind when we lose that path.” 

I emerge from my writing hiatus with a review for an awesome historical fiction title by Kate Quinn. Diamond Eye is a fictionalized account of a Soviet librarian turned sniper in World War II, Mila Pavlichenko. This fictionalized view of Pavlichenko’s life hews very close to the historical record, with a few twists to suit the narrative style of a novel. I can’t remember the last time I tore through a book so quickly!

 

Ukrainian-born, Mila had a son when she was barely fifteen years old. The father, Alexei, abandoned them early on. (Spoilers, Alexei really sucks.) So, Mila dedicates herself to her library studies in the hopes of securing steady employment for her and her son to live on. Early in the story, we see her earnestly trying to secure a divorce from her absentee husband.

 

She figures that it wouldn’t hurt to upgrade her hobby sharpshooting skills as she tries to prove to her son that she can be a reliable parent. Of course, she has something she wants to prove to herself too. Taking advanced marksmanship courses didn’t lead to national competitions though, but instead to the Red Army, who needed snipers. Because WWII has broken out and the Germans are advancing rapidly into Soviet territory.  

(Have I mentioned how badass a combo librarian and sniper are?) 

“Snipers must make themselves calm in order to succeed, and that is why women are good at sharpshooting. Because there is not a woman alive who has not learned how to eat rage in order to appear calm.” 

Diamond Eye, being a wartime novel, tackles the thorny intersection of gender politics and armed conflict, where Mila must play the game to earn the respect of her platoon. And earn the respect of her sniper partner, whom she must trust with her life in the field.

 

It’s a gut-wrenching account of Mila’s slog through major battles, where she eventually racks up 309 confirmed kills on behalf of the Red Army. Everyone lives to the fullest as the world seems to crash down around them. Soldiers aren’t an exception to this rule.  

“Nothing makes a party sing like the knowledge that death awaits you tomorrow, but you've dodged it today.” 

Interspersed with Mila’s time on the front is Mila and the rest of the Soviet delegation visiting America on a goodwill tour, a tour which the Soviets hope will secure aid from America and its allies.

 

In America, Mila encounters Franklin Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. She strikes up an unexpected friendship with the First Lady even as political intrigue and the specter of potential political violence clouds the atmosphere. For there are those who want FDR dead and aren’t keen on America aiding the Soviets against the Germans.

 

A shadowy assassin tasked with taking out FDR at a speaking event in California follows Mila as she tours the country with POTUS and the First Lady and becomes enmeshed in all sorts of intrigue. Mila has to adapt to the spotlight, finding it disorienting, but eventually becomes a vocal advocate for her country and the war effort against Nazism.  

“We Americans are used to viewing war from a distance—the privilege of living, as Chancellor Otto von Bismarck once said, with less powerful neighbors to the north and south, and nothing to the east and west but fish. Even the terrible attack on our own Pearl Harbor came thousands of miles away.” 

As I said before, I really enjoyed Diamond Eye. Let’s keep pumping out the novels of women, war heroes or otherwise. Each time I read historical fiction like this, showing me the life of another woman who existed but whose accomplishments were either overshadowed or deliberately erased from history, the beauty and nuance of history shines through. Funny enough, novels like Diamond Eye remind me why I find history absolutely fascinating.  

Happy reading! 

--BookOwl