The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

by
John Boyne



This is a ‘cross-over’ book that can (and should in my opinion) be read by both children and adults. I keep shuffling it from one section of the library where I work, to another, to maximise its potential!

Set in Nazi Germany in 1943, the book tells the tale of two nine-year old boys who become the best of friends in the most unlikely circumstances.

Bruno is suddenly uprooted from his happy life in Berlin to “Out-With”, with his father - a highly ranked man in Germany - his mother and his sister. The only other people he sees live on the opposite side of a tall fence and they all wear striped pyjamas.

Bruno spends a lot of time in his room, until curiosity draws him outside towards the fence, where he finally meets Schmuel, a boy his own age, with his own sad story. They never get to play properly but sit on opposite sides of the boundary and talk about their lives. Bruno is eventually told he is to return to Berlin. As a final adventure, he agrees to dress in a set of striped pyjamas and climb under a loose wire in the fence to help Shmuel find his father, who has gone missing in the camp.

What happens there to both boys is truly horrifying, and a reminder of man’s capacity for inhumanity.

The essence of the book is its childish naivety, which gives it immense power. The author's skill is that we are always one step ahead of Bruno, with our own knowledge of the situation he’s writing about.

John Boyne describes the holocaust with unnerving accuracy and, although the book is short, it’s a thought-provoking read and I must confess the ending left me with a massive lump in my throat. Get your hankies ready.