The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Boy in The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a fable for young readers. I decided to read it because I read another book, All The Broken Places, by the author, and I loved it. Here is my book review on that book. The author first wrote The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, so I read them out of sequence, which is okay.

Synopsis

The main character is a nine-year-old boy, Bruno, who comes home from school one day and finds out his family is moving because of his father’s promotion. Bruno didn’t like this at all. He loved his house, which had five floors, sliding banisters, and friends for life in Berlin. No other houses were around at his new home, and no one to play with. The house was called Out-With. He and his older sister, Gretel, thought that was an odd name for a house.

When he looked out his bedroom window, he noticed people on the other side of a tall wire fence. Some men in uniform often came to his house and talked to his father in his office. There were also people, young and old, in striped pajamas with striped cloth caps who seemed to listen and obey the other men.

One day, Bruno decided to explore outside his house near the fence. He discovered a boy that lived on the other side of the fence. His name was Shmuel. Bruno was so excited that he found a new friend. They were the same age and had the same birthday. They looked alike except for Schmuel being so skinny and gray-looking. He also had his head shaved.

Every day, except when it rained too hard, they would meet in the same place to just talk. They talked to each other for hours, each on their own side of the fence. Bruno asked Scmuel what it was like on his side of the fence. There were so many people over there. Bruno wanted to go over and play with the other kids.

Bruno didn’t tell anyone about his new friend.

My Analysis of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This book is for young readers, so it includes some pictures. The illustrations were wonderful to look at while I was reading The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. They depicted the scene of the story at that time. The drawings added to the enjoyment of the book.

Neither Bruno nor Gretel had any idea what their father did for work. They also didn’t understand what was going on around them. There were no other houses with families around them. The reader knows what is going on, but the children are clueless. We get to see it from their point of view.

I liked that the story was from a nine-year-old’s perspective. Bruno and Gretel are just observing and trying to figure things out. When they ask grownups questions, they receive responses that say the children don’t need to know, such as when Bruno asked why a fence was separating them from the people on the other side. Bruno did not get an answer.

Bruno had to keep his friendship with Schmuel secretive. Sometimes, throughout the story, I would hope that someone would find out and maybe things would have turned out differently. There is not a dull moment in the story. Bruno is trying to find happiness in a new situation.

I read All the Broken Places before I read this book. While I was reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, I was thinking back to the scenes in the other book that corresponded to what I was reading at the moment. It all ties together. I enjoyed reading both books.