The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas: A Book Review

Having a late afternoon run at the bookshop last Thursday to claim my renewed discount card, I went through my usual bookshop ritual of scanning through the spines and covers of books on the shelves. More often than not, I’d encounter the same titles and the same authors, but that day was different. I happened to spot an interesting book at the children’s section, which I’ve never seen or heard of before – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

                

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006) is set during the Holocaust, and it takes the reader on a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno, a son of a German commandant. Later in the story, he meets a Jewish boy of the same age, named Shmuel, serving at a concentration camp, and soon enough, they become best friends.

Though told through the most innocent prose possible, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is not a book for children. It requires historical knowledge that intermediate or adult readers have, as some terms and ideologies related to the war have been concealed with very naïve words, which a young boy or girl will find easy to understand but difficult to interpret.

The theme of the novel is basically depressing. However, Boyne eased the bitterness of the story by dealing with it through the eyes of a child. Some parts are quite comedic, although the rest are tragic. The plot is highly commendable. It’s perfectly panned out and beautifully written. The characters are also fittingly created for the roles they’ll play in the story.

To sum it all up, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a painfully poignant story that has the power to move you beyond words. 

♥Andz