The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

John Boyne

Bruno was nine years old when he walked into his room in Berlin to find Maria packing up his things, even the secret things that were in the back of the closet and were nobody else's business. His mother informed him that they would be moving away, because his father had very important job and the fuhrer needed them to go - although Bruno could still not place exactly what his fathers job was. He liked his house, and didn't want to leave - especially once they arrived at there new home. It was in the middle of nowhere, and had only three floors instead of five. Bruno was forced to unpack his things, (with the help of Maria, the maid) even the the secret things that came from the back of the closet and were nobody else's business. His new home was terrible, and he didn't even know why he was there - but the most frustrating thing was that he was very lonely and there was a bunch of kids in a large camp only fifty feet away from the house. They had a huge fence around them, and they all wore striped pajamas - he didn't understand why he couldn't go play with them. Why were they on that side of the fence? Why was his family here? and why did all the people on the other side of the fence appear to be so... sad?

If you haven't already figured it out, this book takes place in Europe in the early 1940's. One of the many things that makes it so interesting is the fact that it is from the perspective of a nine year old German boy, a naive nine year old German boy. His parents try to shelter him from the atrocities that are happening a short fifty feet away from their home, while he tries to understand just what is going on. While your reading it you know the whole time what is happening to the people on the other side of the fence, but Bruno still does not see what is happening right before his eyes. Throughout the book, the author gives subtle hints as to what is going on inside of the camp through Bruno's point of view - which makes it terrifying, saddening, and intriguing all at the same time. I love the writing style - it's amusing, almost lightening the whole situation. It's the holocaust through a child's eyes - which makes you re-examine the whole topic. The book is a quick and easy read, but makes you think, and asks a very important question: Why are people on different sides of the fence? and because of those reasons, I highly recommend this book.