Karin Magnussen was a Nazi scientist who was complicit in research into the pigmentation of irises to provide scientific proof of Nazi racial theories. Originally, her research was done on rabbits, but later it was conducted on humans with the collaboration of infamous SS doctor Josef Mengele. In Doll’s Eye, Anna Winter’s father is the driver for a renowned ophthalmologist and Magnussen’s mentor. The different pigmentation of Anna’s eyes attracts their attention and puts her in danger; when her father disappears suddenly, Anna follows the instructions he leaves and escapes to Australia.

A few years later, Anna is managing the local pub in Birdum in outback Australia; it’s a connecting point for the train to Darwin and passengers often stop off in Birdum. One passenger is the charming, eccentric Yiddish poet Alter Mayseh, who has come to Australia to get as far away from Hitler’s Europe as he can. He recognises Anna’s accent and strikes up a conversation in German. Floods then delay Alter’s departure. Anna is captivated by his worldliness and by his poetry; Alter is attracted to Anna’s air of mystery and her reluctance to share her past. She is, however, willing to share her future and accepts Alter’s offer to leave with him.

Leah Kaminsky skilfully weaves the two stories of Anna and Alter against the backdrop of war in Europe and the emergence of a new Australia. Slowly, Anna’s shocking story is revealed, only to dash her relationship with Alter. Kaminsky’s novel is a fascinating and riveting insight into how the turmoil of the ’30s and ’40s impacted people’s lives, and changed societies.