The Diamond Eye

Mila’s first husband, Alexei, is controlling and manipulative; he has little interest in Mila’s needs. He is a surgeon, and he used his skills to seduce Mila into a sexual relationship that she was not ready for but then abandoned Mila and their son. Alexei calls Mila kroshka, a Russian term of affection that means “little breadcrumb,” which Mila comes to see as a sign of his contempt for her. Alexei does not react well to those who challenge his ego, and he is deeply invested in conventional displays of masculine-coded prowess, calling his five-year-old son a “baby” for being uncomfortable around guns (16).

Alexei and Mila meet again in wartime; he is a combat surgeon near where she is stationed. He is incredulous about her new celebrated status, saying, “I thought you were having me on, all that guff about one hundred and eighty-seven kills” (167). He is also jealous of Mila’s bonds with Lyonya and Kostia. Alexei uses his position as Mila’s legal spouse to accompany her to America, demonstrating his ambition and callousness, and continues to insist that Mila should reconcile with him. He continually sees her as someone to dominate, not as a free agent in her own romantic life, even claiming that he allowed Mila’s relationship with Lyonya.

His anger at Mila’s growing agency draws him into the orbit of the anonymous American sniper. Mila’s greatest enemy has always been men who do not value or respect her, and her two adversaries are united in this mutual denigration. After Mila thwarts the assassination attempt and kills the American sniper, Alexei tries to kill her to prevent her from claiming credit. Mila, however, kills Alexei in self-defense. This incident highlights both Alexei’s fatal flaw—his ego—and his role as Mila’s “first enemy” (399).

Along with Mila and Eleanor, the unnamed American sniper is one of the text’s three point-of-view characters. He is also one of Quinn’s few entirely fictional creations, as there was no known assassination plot against President Roosevelt at the time of the book’s composition. The text opens from the sniper’s point of view, allowing Quinn to demonstrate that this story is not just a biography of Mila Pavlichenko—it also has components of a spy thriller. The reader knows that both Roosevelt and Mila will survive; the suspense is in the question of when Mila will discover the plot and how she will foil it.

The American sniper has been hired by President Roosevelt’s enemies to put an end to his foreign and domestic policies, including the wartime alliance with the Soviet Union—and while he is described as an unremarkable man, with “medium hair between brown and blond, a bony face, and mud-colored eyes” (2), he is “usually jingling uncut diamonds in his trouser pockets” (2). This detail highlights that he kills for profit, in contrast to Mila, who kills to protect her son and her country.

Along with most men in the novel, the sniper’s character reflects common assumptions about women at the time, and he initially underestimates both Mila’s shooting skills and her determination; he insists Mila is only a “trick pony stuffed with Soviet propaganda” (2). He uses a gendered insult for both Mila and Eleanor Roosevelt, which shows that he, like Alexei, has deep contempt for ambitious, capable women.

The sniper is comfortable with disguises and secrecy. He initially poses as a journalist to gain access to the Soviet delegation but then adapts his ruse to that of a wealthy bachelor who has romantic designs on Mila. Like with Alexei, the sniper’s ego and misogyny become his downfall. After he realizes that Mila actually is a sharpshooter, he personalizes his crusade: “[G]etting Lyudmila Pavlichenko now seemed just as important as getting FDR” (352). Yet he continues to underestimate Mila during their final standoff in Rock Creek Park, and Mila fools him into revealing his position. Thus, the sniper’s failure is rooted in his inability to see Mila for who she truly is.

In the text, Mila’s sniper partner, Kostia, bears the name of her real-life second husband, but his character is entirely fictional. Kostia is the son of a Siberian fur trapper and a skilled hunter. Mila calls him a “compact razor of a man” and notes that he is the only new sniper recruit to follow her orders without question (87). He is uncomfortable with most people and appreciates his solitude, though he is a loyal friend to both Mila and Lyonya.

Mila needs a partner, in work and in life, who respects her intellect; Kostia epitomizes that partner. When they first meet, he is carrying a copy of War and Peace, and he compares their current situation to the struggle against Napoleon. The two have frequent philosophical discussions during their stakeouts. Although he develops strong romantic feelings for Mila, he respects her choice to begin a relationship with Lyonya instead, telling her, “[Y]ou picked the best man I knew” (325). Mila emerges as Kostia’s protector and keeper of his secrets: Only she and Lyonya know that he had an American grandmother and has relatives in the United States. Mila’s choice later in the novel to love Kostia while still grieving Lyonya’s death evinces her new willingness to take risks and embrace happiness. His choice to remain in Russia rather than defect to the United States demonstrates the power of their bond. His final gesture, giving Mila a new copy of her history thesis, shows that he truly understands and appreciates all of her.

Mila’s regimental commander, Lyonya, is young, blond, and dashing, with a love of laughter and jokes. When they first meet at a steam bath, Mila is attracted to him and accepts his flirtations, thinking he is just a civilian. She is horrified to later discover that he is a superior officer and that he shares her estranged husband’s name, Alexei. In contrast to Alexei Pavlichenko, however, Lyonya respects Mila’s skills as a sniper. He has no patience for his superior’s sexism and is annoyed by his reluctance to advance Mila’s career.

After Lyonya donates blood to save her life and comforts her fears about death, Mila realizes that he is nothing like Alexei and instead is a worthy romantic partner. Moreover, he promises to be a present and loving father to her son. Lyonya’s death embodies the trauma and unpredictability of war, but it also spurs Mila’s newfound desire to avoid regret. Mila did not finalize her divorce from Alexei before Lyonya’s death, and this dashed his hopes for marriage, but she resolves not to make the same mistake with Kostia.

Mila’s first friend at the front, Lena finds Mila when the two are in a desperate search for fellow women in their new wartime surroundings. Mila is open with Lena about her history with Alexei, and the two instantly bond over their shared patriotism. They warn each other in coded language to be careful about sexual assault, and Mila reflects that “all women know why” such warnings are needed (49).

Lena is with Mila throughout her many wartime injuries, comforting her, cheering her up, and celebrating her increasing fame. Lena urges Mila not to fear a wartime romance with either Lyonya or Kostia, saying, “[E]ither your lieutenant or your Siberian would be thrilled down to their socks if you climbed under their blankets” (191). Though Mila believes that Lena has been killed when Sevastopol falls, they reunite after the war, testifying to their enduring bond.

Historically, Eleanor Roosevelt was a notably active and prominent First Lady, using her position to promote feminist causes and issues of civic equality, including civil rights for Black Americans. In Quinn’s novel, Eleanor’s commitment to gender equality poses a problem for the anonymous sniper, as he calls her preference for women journalists on the tour “another one of the horsey bitch’s pecadilloes” that will require him to change cover identities (312).

Mila finds that she admires Eleanor’s energy and work ethic despite their very different backgrounds and ideologies, and the two women’s rapport deepens Quinn’s theme of wartime friendship. Eleanor shows gentle compassion for Mila’s losses and tells her, “Everyone fails, Lyudmila. I’ve failed” (330), urging Mila to be more compassionate with herself. Friendship with Eleanor is part of Mila’s path toward greater self-confidence. Eleanor ends the narrative in Mila’s debt, but after Mila saves the president’s life, the Epilogue makes it clear that they see each other as equals.