Book Review: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

And once again my friend Karmeloeule wrote a wonderful review.

Author	John Boyne
Title	The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Publisher	David Fickling Books
Date of Publication	October 28, 2008
Page Count	240 pages
ISBN	978-0-3857-5189-6

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a book about many things: about not wanting but having to, about missing someone dear, about friendship and most definitely about things one does not know about.

Bruno is a nine year old boy living in Berlin. When his father is promoted to a new place, his family has to move with him. Bruno is not thrilled: not only does he have to leave this beautiful house full of memories and adventures, but also his friends and relatives stay behind. Yet, as a very well-educated German child, Bruno is not in the position to display his resentment: all he knows is that he has to move together with his mother, his teasing and annoying sister and some of their household to a place called “Aus-Wisch”. Nothing in “Aus-Wisch” and the new house do not even rudimentary reach the level of Bruno’s home Berlin. The house is not as noble, the people are not as friendly and, most crucial, there is no other child to play with.
Driven by his curiosity, Bruno one day begins to explore the surroundings and what he finds is what he thought to never have again: a friend.

I really did like this story, if one may say so. I entered Boyne’s world completely unaware of its content- which I recommend everyone in order to stay excited and share the eagerness to explore what’s everyone is not talking about- and was surprised how fast I could see with Bruno’s eyes. This book is truly extraordinary. I’d loved the way Boyne approached such an on the one hand highly explosive, yet for us Germans slowly annoying (we are confronted with it all the time and one could say “Not again a book about the Nazis and so on”) topic. I would say that this catching book adds perfectly to the category of “When Hitler stole the pink rabbit” and should be obligatory for kids in school as well as at home.
This book is an exemplar I am so happy I bought, read, thought, wrote, talked about and I look forward to- one day- give it to my children.