Review: Human nature at its worse and best.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2013
The story opens in Helsinki, Finland during the continuation of the war between Russia and Finland iin 1943.  Leini is a four-year old little girl with a right eye that doesn't track properly, and which causes her to lose her balance or misjudge her distance.  Plus, it detracts from her physical beauty and through the childhood years, her classmates often call her derogatory names.  But that is not where the real emotional pain lies for Leini.  Her father Robert, whom she calls Papi, is away fighting in the war and she is left to bear the brunt of her mother Mira's hate and abuse, both physically and emotionally.  Her grandfather Bauman and her grandmother, Britta, do what they can to relieve this pain from Leini, but are limited for Mira won't let them see Leini if they don't accept Mira's treatment of her.  Mira has a brother Karl, who loves Leini and treats her well and one day when she is an adult, explains the disaster of Mira's own childhood to Leini.When Leini is twelve, Mira learns that Leini can have an operation to repair the right eye so that she can see better and it will track with the left.  The surgeon explains to Leini he won't do it unless she is agreeable to it because for four days following the surgeon, she cannot move her head nor eyes for it will tear the stitching and possibly cause blindness.  Leini doesn't want to do it.  She is afraid and can do it when she is older, but she finally gives in, believing that her mother will love her if she isn't disfigured.  Her grandfather Bauman hires a night nurse to be with Leini so she won't do anything to disrupt the surgery, but on the second night, Mira forces him to get rid of the night nurse.  As a result, in her sleep Leini rubs her eye surgery on the pillow and tears loose the stitches, thus blinding her and causing a permanent placement of the eyeball in the corner of her eye socket.  Leini always believe Mira did it on purpose so that she would be disfigured.  Eventually grandfather Bauman finds a surgeon who can make the eye track with the left eye, but she will always be blind.This story is deep with cause and effect, emotional trauma, misunderstanding, physical pain and deliberate abuse.  The several family characters are well developed and the reader experiences the family dynamics of the story right up until the end when Leini is middle-aged.  It is a story worthwhile to take the time to read for it is not as entertaining as it is enlightening and educational.  I recommend it.