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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
 | The Boy in the Striped Pajamas John Boyne Date: 2006-09-12 — Book Rating: |
A sometimes troubling mix of history and fiction, this book has still lingers weeks after reading it. Naiive and unaware of the world around him, Nine year old Bruno's world is turned upside down when his father, a commandant for "the Fury," moves his family to "Out With." Bruno laments that their house is small, and wonders about the people he can see through the fence, all wearing the same striped pajamas. Bruno decides to go exploring, walking along the fence, and meets a Jewish boy who shares his same birthday. Shmuel and Bruno become friends, sharing stories and food, longing to play together like all little boys. The chilling climax that happens after Bruno crawls under that fence to play with Shmuel is unexpected, and may require that the reader have some knowledge of the Holocaust to really understand. Are there powerful and emotional scenes with great writing? Yes. But it is hard to buy Bruno's obliviousness to the world around him, even if he is only nine. This book is probably best used in discussion, so that readers can dialogue and talk about the book and the issues it raises.
I thoroughly appreciated this book. It is not only beautifully written it
is also skilfully written. Writing this story through the words of a nine
year old, the writer succeeded in capturing the mind and heart of the adult
reader - and making him or her think. The story illustrates vivdly the
vast difference between the world of the child and that of the adult.
Because the reader is left to reflect on the Holocaust, even though it is
not explicity mentioned, the story becomes more powerful. This is a book
that remains in the mind long after the story is finished. The question is
- does the story have an end and are we being to be active in respecting
other so that the book does indeed have an end in the reality of our world.