Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

For an (almost) perfect eNotes synopsis of this absolutely stunning book that I give a 4.5 out of 5 click here.

     The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is unlike any book set in the time of the Holocaust that I have ever read before. Though the story is being told in the third person, it seems as if it is being told through the main character nine-year-old Bruno's eyes. At the same time, this book is not for nine-year-olds. Throughout the entire story, I found myself feeling so much agony for Bruno, a little kid who does not understand that his own father is a monster and how selfish he is when he speaks to his new little friend who is suffering on the other side of the fence. Even if Bruno did not understand what was going on, I found myself gasping when I finally realized Bruno's innocence in that the names he called the camp just outside his bedroom window, and the people who gave his father the promotion and a fancy new uniform with a strange symbol on his armband, were the most horrible things in reality. I found myself in hysterics at the end of the novel because everything changed so fast. I was sucked into a world where two little boys became friends even though they were surrounded by so much hatred that they did not comprehend. When it comes to the literature aspect, every sentence, no matter how short, had so much power behind it. The relationship between Bruno and his sister reminded me of the one I share with my little brother, which made me feel even more for the characters.  Even though I had read so many books in school about the horrors of the Holocaust, no book had ever made the characters feel so human. Of course, I cried at the ends of each book whether the main characters died with 6 million others, which makes my heart break at just the thought, or survived with a fiery hole of grief in the pit of their stomach, but this book was so different. At the end, I felt just like Bruno. I did not understand why it had to end the way that it did. In the end it made me confused, angry, speechless. I recommend this fascinating book for everyone over the age of 12, but if after reading the summary you feel as if you are not ready, wait. Also, a tip would be to learn as much as you can about the history and important places in the Holocaust before you read, for then you will have the realizations that Bruno never got to have. 

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What I am currently reading: 1776 by David McCullough

In other news: If you have not read after the jump on my last post entitled "Reflection From a Self-Proclaimed Tortured Writer", you should.