The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Summary and book reviews of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, plus links to an excerpt from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and a biography of John Boyne.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas A Fable
by John Boyne
Hardcover: Sep 2006,
224 pages.
Paperback: Oct 2007,
240 pages.
When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
BOOK REVIEWS
BookBrowse Review contains plot spoilers:
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is presented as a fable, flagging to the reader up front that one is expected to disengage ones normal sense of reality and accept the story as given, but in this instance, when dealing with such an emotive, well recorded and historically recent subject as the Holocaust, this is difficult to do. Everything hinges on the reader accepting Bruno's overwhelming naivety at face value. Is it really credible that nine-year-old Bruno, who lives and goes to school in Berlin and is the son of a senior SS officer, is oblivious to the war, and doesn't know who Hitler is, or what a Jew is - but in other respects is both observant and intelligent?
When his family arrive at Aushwitz, Bruno and his 12-year-old-sister are conveniently the only children in the vicinity, other than those on the other side of the fence. This again stretches credibility because historical records show that about 6,000 SS officers were posted at Auschwitz, so it seems extremely unlikely that other children would not have been around. Then there is the issue of how Bruno could possibly have talked with his friend on the other side of the fence for months without being seen, or ever comprehending that Shmuel is starving (he absentmindedly brings him food from time to time but usually ends up eating most of it on the way). Not to mention the inconvenient detail that by 1942 most young children arriving at the camps were gassed on arrival.
On the other hand, Boyne hits a few powerful notes - such as Bruno's father's response to his question about the people inside the fence - "they're not people at all Bruno"; and his mother's comment that "we don't have the luxury of thinking".
As a fable, this is a powerful tale, and if you can read it as such all well and good (I can't); but as a vehicle for explaining the defining tragedy of the 20th century to young people it falls embarrassingly short. Full Review (1033 words).
Media Reviews
Booklist
Gr 7-10: The story builds to a horrifying climax, the innocent's experience brings home the unimaginable horror.
Publishers Weekly
Maloney's soft-toned narration and chipper, believably childlike characterization of Bruno dramatically bring home the fable-like qualities of Boyne's moving text. Ages 12-up
Kirkus Reviews
Certain to provoke controversy and difficult to see as a book for children, who could easily miss the painful point. Ages 12-14.
School Library Journal - Susan Scheps
Starred Review. While only hinting at violence, blind hatred, and deplorable conditions, Boyne has included pointed examples of bullying and fearfulness. His combination of strong characterization and simple, honest narrative make this powerful and memorable tale a unique addition to Holocaust literature for those who already have some knowledge of Hitlers Final Solution. Ages 12+.
The Observer (UK)
Certain to be one of the publishing sensations of 2006.
The Oxford Times
A memorable and moving story.
The Guardian (UK) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a small wonder of a book. Bruno's education is conducted slowly, through a series of fleeting social encounters rather than by plunging him into a nightmare landscape. A scraped knee, an attack of nits, a slammed door - these are the moments through which he is led to a deeper knowledge of the world beyond the wire fence.
The Age - Ed Wright
After some initial tonal clunkiness where you can almost detect the author thinking "how do I write a child", the story is an effortless read that puts you directly into Bruno's worldview. It is elegant story-telling with emotional impact and an ending that in true fairytale style is grotesquely clever.
The Irish Independent
A book so simple, so seemingly effortless, that it's almost perfect.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by harsheen the boy in the striped pyjamas This book is interesting to read, and also you learn how the Germans treated the Jews and at the end how they died
Rated of 5
by Cloggie Downunder not as good as the Book Thief The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the 5th novel by Irish author John Boyne. It is a holocaust tale from a different perspective: that of the naïve and innocent young son of a concentration camp commandant. He asks his father when they arrive if his... Read More
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(1033 words).
School Library Journal - Susan Scheps
of 5
by harsheen
of 5
by Cloggie Downunder
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