The Diamond Eye

As a fictionalized version of Mila’s life story, The Diamond Eye is fundamentally a narrative about coming to terms with past losses and integrating them into a new sense of self. When the work opens, Mila is terrified of Alexei and the power he represents. She castigates herself for her poor choice of partner, saying, “I’d already made one colossal error when I fell into the arms of the wrong man” (20). She does not recognize until later that she was far too young to understand the consequences of sexual intimacy and that he should not have pursued her. As Eleanor Roosevelt tells her, her quest for perfection “made [her] a brave soldier, but a frightened woman” (330). Mila’s discovery of her shooting skills marks a turning point for her when “[she] realize[s] who and how [she] could be” (30).

War reveals Mila’s skills but also exposes her to more suffering and loss, and her wartime struggle requires its own efforts to face the past by embracing both grief and anger. Mila is stunned by the story of Maria Kabachenko’s survival of a violent sexual assault by German troops, saying to her imaginary detractors, “[Y]ou didn’t hold her clutching hands in yours as she begged you, kill them all” (98). For Mila herself, grief and violence become intertwined. She and Kostia drink together at Lyonya’s grave, weeping and torn apart at their loss, but Mila is equally concerned that her grief is preventing her from doing her job as a sniper. Only shared grief with Kostia brings back Mila’s steady hand; honest reckoning with the past is key to her healing. Mila’s friendship with Eleanor takes a similar turn when the older woman sees Mila’s largest scar and embraces her. Mila reflects, “I had so many broken pieces stabbing me inside, I didn’t know what to do but dissolve into the hug” (327).

After Eleanor suggests that self-compassion may lead to a happier life, Mila is able to accept the love and passion Kostia offers her. They both agree that Lyonya would say, “[N]o one should waste time if there’s a chance to be happy” (359). Mila’s final triumph, her ability to definitively end the threat Alexei poses, is its own stage in her transformation process, as she tells him, “[A]ll you’ve ever been is a collection of pieces scavenged from someone else, mostly me” (400). In ending Alexei’s threat, Mila proves that she has the power to protect herself, know her past, and accept her right to a peaceful future.