Author: John Boyne

Year of Publication: January 5th 2006

PLOT: 4/5

CHARACTERS: 4/5

WRITING: 5/5

CLIMAX: 4/5

ENTERTAINMENT: 4/5

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Plot:

An age-appropriate tale. Learn about a remarkable story of friendship, innocence, and the horrors of war. Some things are just waiting to be discovered, minding their own business. Bruno, a nine-year-old, is quite busy with his thoughts. Who is The “Fury” ?Why did he force them to leave their lovely Berlin house and travel to “Out-With”? On the opposite side of the fence, who are all the depressed individuals wearing striped pyjamas?

Bruno believes there is only one option since the adults won’t explain: he must go on his own exploration of this location. He comes across a new companion as a result. a young man with the same birthday. a boy dressed in striped pyjamas. Why then do they never get to play together?

What I liked about/didn’t like about the book?

It is without a doubt the saddest novel I’ve ever read, and it lingers with you long after you’ve completed it. The fact that you are seeing the story through the eyes of 9-year-old Hugo, the son of a Nazi commander in the German Army, who is innocently unaware of the atrocities taking place around him in his new home, I believe makes it much more unsettling. This implies that you are sharing in his experience of watching the truth slowly come into view.

You have the distinct advantage as the reader since you are aware of what is going on around Hugo long before he is. It breaks your heart, and I had to truly put the book down at times because I was finding it to be so sad. I finished reading this book very quickly because I was finding it to be such a distressing read. When you are aware that this is not fiction and that the horrors being faced are based on truth, it has a heavy effect on the reader. The fact that all the atrocities are suggested rather than explicitly described makes it worse, in my opinion.

The two major protagonists in this book read as much younger than their stated ages, and I believe there are many historical accuracy errors in it. Also, I felt that there were a couple too many coincidences, which diminished the gravity of the topic. This book is excellent, and I believe that it should be required reading in schools so that children can learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust and ensure that it is never repeated. I’m eager to read more of John Boyne’s writing.

Final Verdict

Intense, moving, and utterly enthralling!