Book Of The Month November, 2009
The Boy in the Striped PyjamasJohn Boyne
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.
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Latest Comment
I could not put this book down- I think the key to its success/readability is its simplicity. This also makes the impact of the story greater- and the ending even more poignant.
This should be on every school reading list
What We Think
Catherine Alport, Random House Children’s Books Publicity, about The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas:
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a rarity. There are not many books in this world which can make you laugh, cry, feel intense rage and complete empathy all in the space of 200 pages. Handed to me by a non-bookish friend, before my time at Random House, I was surprised when she fervently added that I would be needing tissues. If you have yet to experience this remarkable book, please heed her advice.
Boyne tells his ‘fable’ from the point of view of his protagonist, the inquisitive, and appealingly naïve Bruno, who is appalled to discover that he will be moving from his beloved house, friends and grand-parents in Berlin, to a strange place known as ‘Out-With’ where there is no one to play with apart from his sister, who is a Hopeless Case and nothing to do but his studies. Not only this, but there is a fence, over which is a mysterious place that is Out of Bounds, where Bruno must not venture, but increasingly finds too tantalisingly close to ignore. One day, whilst on an Exploration, Bruno meets Shmuel, a solitary figure on the other side of the fence and the two boys strike up an unlikely friendship.
Telling the holocaust story from the perspective of a child gives The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas an endearingly naïve tone, which makes the conclusion even more poignant and also raise the eternal question over the depths of man’s inhumanity: how could something so awful be allowed to occur? During the course of the novel, Boyne, through Bruno’s various relationships, explores the themes of friendship, love, loyalty, creating a masterpiece well-deserving of the title ‘a modern classic.’
I could not put this book down- I think the key to its success/readability is its simplicity. This also makes the impact of the story greater- and the ending even more poignant.
This should be on every school reading list
Posted by JILL CRAVEN on 2009-11-11