‘The boy in the striped pyjamas’, book written by the Irish writer John Boyne has earned quite the attention during the past years. The story happens during the Second World War and follows Bruno, a 9-year-old boy living two separated life moments: one in his old house in Berlin, another at his new house, which he calls Out-With, next to a concentration camp.
One day, Bruno discovers that his father has received a promotion and the family needs to move. At his new house he is very lonely, because he needed to leave his friends, grandparents, and his giant house behind and there was nothing to do. While he was trying to find something that he could do, he looked out of the window and saw a tall fence running as far as he could see. Behind the fence he could see lots of people wearing blue striped pyjamas, which maybe could play with him. Since he wants to be an explorer, he decides that he will go there one day, so that he can try to find something interesting. When this day came he met Shmuel, a boy who lived in the other side of the fence and whose life conditions were very different to Bruno’s. Their secret friendship and meeting results in a very complicated and dangerous situation, for both of them.
Although the book has an obvious ending, I would still think that every page is worth. The book contains a lot of beautiful and deep messages. Considering the time in which the story happens we can clearly see that every child is pure and no child is born racist, but society makes them think in such a way.
Besides that, the book shows us that children have another way of seeing the world and life. They have what many adults do not have: hope. Other than that I think it was a great book putting into perspective what Jews had
to go through without being too radical, since the war is viewed from a child's point of view.
Furthermore, the book can be seen as a metaphor even today. Nowadays, it lacks humility to know the other side of the fence a little. It lacks courage to walk and put yourself in the other's place, seeing the same reality and point of view. As the book has a simple language and story, I would recommend it to anyone over the age of 12, although it has 320 pages.
Love, innocence, friendship, hope, truth. The whole set of these elements is what makes ‘The boy in the striped pyjamas’ so sad, but at the same time very stirring and incredible. That's why I would give this book 4,5 stars.
by Sayuri Inoue
"The boy in the striped pajamas", a story of innocence in a world of ignorance
Artwork by: Sayuri Inoue
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