The boy In The Striped Pyjamas John Boyle Book Review

 


Some books have no age bar and can be read both by adults and children both in their worth terms. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is definitely one of them. The book has been categorized as a children’s book. But the seriousness and intensity it holds can blow up an adult’s mind. The first two sections of the review contain facts about the author, and description of the book and the final two sections of the review give my thoughts upon the book. If you don't want to read the article watch the short video that sums up everything in detail, otherwise, read the article. So, without much ado let’s begin.



About the Author:

Before focusing on the book… a few words about the author. John Boyne is an Irish Author. His works have been published in over 50 languages worldwide.  Boyne had been a student of Holocaust literature for long and The Boy in the Stipped pyjamas is the end product of that. On his reply to the commentators who declared he has not done any researched Boyne clearly stated that there lies research of 20 years behind the work. The fun part Boyle has said he wrote the entire first draft in only two and a half days without sleeping much after all those years of research. But still… two and a half days Boyne?



Book Description:

Published in 2006 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a holocaust novel. The book reached number one on the new york times bestseller list. Sold over 7 million copies the book has been adapted into a film of the same name. The protagonist of the novel Bruno is a nine-year-old young boy who loves his life at berlin where he lives with his family. But all of a sudden they have to move to in Bruno’s words “outwith” actually Auschwitz because of his dad’s job. Surrounded almost always by soldiers the new place seems bleak and odd to Bruno. Bruno starts to encounter strange event. For example, their cook Pavel appears to be a doctor.   Outside Bruno’s bedroom window a barbed-wire the fence could be seen. People beyond that fence are different but they have one thing in common. They wear striped dresses. One day Bruno went to an exploration of the fence and meets a boy named Smuel. Bruno and Smuel grew a forbidden friendship. From now on the story takes a total turn revealing bitter events of history. I am gonna stop here to keep things spoiler-free.


Book Insights:

 Never ever have seen a book handles such a critical matter in so subtle way than The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Auschwitz was actually the largest concentration camp built by Hitler and his Natsi army during WW2 where Jewish people were imprisoned and exterminated brutally in gas chambers. The people in striped dresses are actually hostages. There are some places where one may feel that the book lacks depth and dilutes the seriousness of the topic. But, the book focuses more on a story of moral truth rather than historical accuracies. Actually, John Boyne has used his general knowledge about the Holocaust to weave this amazing fable. If we compare Bruno’s character with any today’s kid of her age, he may seem naïve. But the book tells the story of 1942, not 2006 or present day. In those days, it was pretty normal if a protected child was not aware of the horrible picture of the holocaust. If you haven’t read any holocaust literature then definitely start from this book. You are gonna love it. Definitely a much read for adults too. Wrapped in innocence this book beautifully preserve a glimpse of history. A recommendation for beginner readers too.


Book features:

The writing style…written in third-person perspective, it is as if told for other children by a child who is sharing shameful, bitter events of human history. The language is very simple. It’s categorized as children’s book after all. It has around 223 pages and the written price is Rs.299/- in Indian rupees. My rating for the book is 4.5 out of five. Good reads rating for the book is 4.2.

That’s all…

 

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