The Diamond Eye

The narrative switches to Eleanor Roosevelt’s perspective. She is concerned about her husband, who fell out of bed earlier that morning. Eleanor knows her husband is sensitive about his disability. She is most concerned by his remark that his enemies would welcome even greater infirmity. She hopes his determination will carry him through the days, and years, of war.

The narrative moves to five years earlier, in prewar Kyiv, Ukraine, which at the time was part of the Soviet Union. Mila Pavlichenko, a university student, arrives home terrified because her five-year-old son, Rostislav (known throughout by the diminutive “Slavka”), is missing. Mila’s mother explains that Slavka is with his father. Mila is incensed, knowing that her husband, Alexei, is procrastinating ending their marriage, as he missed a recent appointment. Her mother tries to point out that Alexei is financially secure as a surgeon and that a reconciliation would be best for Slavka.

Mila arrives at the shooting range, relieved to find her son but angry that Alexei has given their child a rifle to practice with. She knows her husband is pleased to see she was terrified that he may have taken their son permanently. Alexei calls her kroshka, the Russian word for “breadcrumb,” a nickname she sees as reflecting his contempt for her: “[A] crumb was something that could be flicked away into the dustbin, a piece of trash” (11). Mila notes his confidence and skill with the rifle. His ambition and talent are what first drew her to him; at the time, he was a 30-year-old surgeon and pursued a relationship with her when she was only 15.

Alexei explains he is shooting to prepare for the coming war, but Mila reminds him that as a surgeon he will be needed outside battle. Alexei is disappointed when his son cannot shoot. He insinuates that Slavka is another man’s child. Mila tries to show Alexei that she recalls her shooting skills, but she misses. He holds the rifle above her head, mocking her inability to take it from him.

As they leave, Slavka is concerned that without a father, he will not grow into a proper man. Mila assures him that she will be all the parents he needs. As she speaks to him, she addresses him by both his first name and his patronymic, Alexeivich, reflecting his father’s name. (This formal address is more normal between adults in professional situations; its use here suggests the gravity of the exchange.) She promises Slavka that she will teach him to shoot and decides to transform her hobby into an official marksmanship training course. She promises herself it will signify a stage of her life with “no more mistakes” (21).

Mila begins her marksmanship course, with an instructor reminding them that war lies ahead and they should view the course as preparation. Mila drills herself on every detail of weapons, eager for a part of her life where she can easily find success. Mila’s instructor uses her full name and patronymic, Lyudmila Mikhailovna. (This mode of address is common in educational, professional, and other public settings, and it also appears in the chapters dealing with Mila’s military service.)

Mila’s instructor is particularly demanding with her, pushing her to participate in a difficult exercise to destroy only the bottom of a bottle. She excels and graduates from the course a year later.

Throughout the novel, Mila’s narration shifts into the past tense to emphasize that, unlike her published memoir, this narrative is an uncensored account of her life. Adopting this perspective now, looking back at her marksmanship course, Mila says that no one understands that her drive for perfection explains her wartime record. They were unnerved that any woman could kill, especially a bibliophile with a warm personality. She says her transformation began “when [she] heard a rifle sing in [her] hands as [she] buried a bullet through the neck of a bottle and sent the base flying into diamond shards…and [she] realized who and how [she] could be” (30)