Book Review | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Rating

5 stars – a small book with a killer punch ending

Description

The story of “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about. If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn’t a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. We hope you never have to cross such a fence.

Why did you choose to read this book?

I picked up a copy of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas when it appeared in the bargain bin at the supermarket – and thought it would be a nice light read…hmmm…not quite!

The Book Review

If you have never read this book I suggest you go out today and buy a copy – it is quite a compelling and extremely well written book – and don’t let its YA status put you off either.

I will admit that the first couple of pages felt quite clunky to read but once I settled down I pretty much read it from cover to cover in a couple of hours on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon.

This is the story of Bruno – a nine-year-old boy who has to leave his beloved home – with five floors and a banister that you can slide down – to live in a house with only three floors in a place called Out-With. This is the story of Bruno – a nine-year-old-boy who doesn’t understand why he can’t go out ot play with the little boys who appear at the bottom of his garden. This is the story of Bruno – a nine-year-old-boy who goes out to explore one day and sees ‘a dot in the distance become a speck and that spot becomes a blob and that becomes a figure and that in turn becomes a boy in striped pyjamas.’

This is a story about a time in history most of us would like to forget – but that we should be forced to remember – and the terrible things that can happen when people keep secrets from each other…

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More reader reviews
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas: A Teen's Perspective   Review Date: August 31, 2010 Reviewer: C. King, I was a little taken aback by the writing style that Boyne used, but as I kept reading I found Bruno to be a very naive yet endearing character. The pure innocence in both Bruno and Shumel's hearts were for lack of a better word, heartwarming. These boys' friendship despite the circumstances touched me and I found myself thinking about Bruno and Shumel after I finished the book. Bruno represents the thoughts of most young children, he doesn't see the difference between himself and Shumel, all he sees is another little boy wearing "striped pyjamas". Symbolic, not historic--flawed but still powerful   Review Date: August 21, 2010 Reviewer: spas49392@aol.com, Massachusetts Some readers have complained--correctly--about the lack of historical accuracy in the text. The book probably would have worked better had the camp portrayed been a fictional one and not one we know so many horrifying facts about. This approach does seem to lessen the horror we should feel when we hear the word "Auschwitz" (and it is true that "with" in German is "mit" so OUT-WITH would make no sense to a German kid). That is a definite problem. On the other hand, I see the construction of the childlike words and the ending as totally symbolic--Bruno is a kind of blood-sacrifice, an innocent given both as an atonement and a punishment to the evil doers. Does his father become transformed by what happened? Does the reader? Does history? A similar ending makes "The Giver," a YA scifi about a totalitarian society by Lois Lowry, work well--the main character is lost to a society he barely comprehends in a totally symbolic way, like a scapegoat. So I would say the literary effect outweighs the historical failings. As far as the child's naivete, yes, it is hard to accept, but again it is symbolic. The book is supposed to be considered in the abstract, not as hard realism. Some have mentioned MAUS. Do you really think Nazis were talking cats and the Jews were giant mice? That's symbolism. My mother was a small child during WWII in Germany and she often told us that regular people had little idea about what was going on--they saw scary things but suppressed them, as traumatized children (and even older people) will do. However, she certainly knew what Jews and Fuhrers were. Now, this kid's parents were active Nazis and they would surely have tried to brainwash him. Readers are right to have mixed feelings about that part of the book, but the story wouldn't work unless the kid is totally sheltered. Again, symbolic. For those readers who think this is tough subject matter and is disturbing, YES, that is the point. It should disturb you. Young people NEED to be taught about this stuff. Otherwise you hear stories like the one about the idiot high schoolers who laughed out loud during a screening of Schindler's List. What did they think they were watching? Herds of sociopaths are still among us today. Finally, the ending is not cheap and melodramatic at all, but powerful and symbolic. Despite the historical innaccuracy, which I spotted right away, I am not ashamed to say I cried: not just for the characters, but for the millions of lost souls and for humanity itself. Not many books can accomplish that, and so I say bravo to the author. Great one trick idea. Not the classic some proclaim   Review Date: August 20, 2010 Reviewer: Sirin, London, UK I read somewhere that the author wrote the first draft of this book in a sustained blast - two or three days. I read it even more quickly - in the queue for a delayed Easyjet flight from Bilbao to London. It is that type of story. It is not a bad book - based on an ingenious and powerful narrative device which executed which grips at the end with formidable power. But it is unlikely to go down as a classic of children's literature as it it is rather contrived, with unrealistic characterisation. Would Nazi children really be so innocent and whimsically naive about the Holocaust? Unlikely. The reality was somewhat more complex with Nazi education calculated to brainwash the nation's youth into anti-semitic prejudice. excellent   Review Date: August 19, 2010 Reviewer: Karen M, Florida/Maine very easy read, I read it in one evening, but it is a powerful story, very provocative. I would think it would be an excellent choice for a teenager book club or a parent/child book club. This book is written from a nine year old boy's perspective, which I enjoyed too. the boy in striped pajamas   Review Date: June 22, 2010 Reviewer: Janet Fae Smith, rapid river mi I saw the video of the above book, wanted to read it and will be sharing it with the book club that I'm in.
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