The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Have you read this book? If so, what were your thoughts?

This was the first time I decided to read this book. I vividly remember watching the movie when I was a child and being so captivated that I made a mental note to read the book if I ever got the chance. Well, years later, I finally got my hands on a copy of the book.

As I delved into the pages, I was completely immersed in the story. I really loved this book. It had a profound impact on me, making me feel a wide range of emotions. The characters were so well-developed that I felt as if I knew them personally. The plot was engaging and full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a must-read for anyone who loves a good story that can touch the heart and leave a lasting impression.

When I saw the film version at the cinema, the entire audience remained in their seats and sobbed into tissues as the credits rolled. I’ve never experienced anything like it since.

With John Boyne finally releasing a much-anticipated sequel, I figured it was about time I read this!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a simple, yet powerful fable-like story. It was a quick read, but one that will remain with me, and one which I’m still thinking about. This is definitely a book that pulls at the heartstrings. A lump in the throat accompanied my reading for a large portion, particularly the end.

John Boyne succeeded in making me view the world through the eyes of a naïve, but curious and inquisitive nine-year-old again. He repeated numerous phrases and sentences throughout, some such as “Out-With” and “The Fury”, adding childhood innocence to words that stand for anything but. The book certainly picked up once Bruno (the main character) befriended Shmuel (a boy in striped pajamas that lived over the ‘fence’).

Boyne created tension well; most notably the kitchen scene featuring Shmuel, Bruno and the evil Lieutenant Kotler. It was anxiety-inducing and a sense of foreboding grew throughout the book. My heart ached whenever the likes of Shmuel or Pavel were mentioned. I couldn’t help but wonder about the back story of Pavel in particular.

Despite having seen the film, there were enough small differences to keep things interesting – most notably a head shaving scene and the ending. I actually thought the film ending was more powerful and emotional than the book's, which despite also packing a punch, tapered off in comparison.

There are plenty of historical inaccuracies, yes, but this is fiction after all, and aimed at younger readers. If this book acts as a stepping stone into learning about the Holocaust more fully, then that will always be a good thing.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a book that I wish was around during my school years. Boyne has crafted an intelligent, yet simple story whose use of metaphors and various themes cause the reader to pause and reflect. Books like this are relevant more than ever. I’m keen to read the sequel.

“It was almost (Shmuel thought) as if they were all exactly the same really.”

I seriously suggest you read about what happened to real children in the Holocaust. It won't just fill your thoughts for a few days or shock you momentarily; rather, it will deeply impact your LIFE and make you feel sick to the very core of your being.

Paul Friedlander, a survivor himself, vividly recounts in his recent highly praised book the harrowing incident of 90 Jewish infants, all under the age of five, who were orphaned after their parents were brutally murdered in a mass shooting.

These innocent children were then subjected to indescribable mistreatment for days on end.

Finally, they were individually hanged, a horror that is almost too much to fathom.

I read this account with horror, revulsion, and total disbelief.

(ref. The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939 - 1945)

Or consider the incident of the young German soldier participating in the evacuation of patients in the hospital in the Warsaw Ghetto. In the presence of a distraught Jewish crowd of relatives and onlookers, patients were callously thrown onto the backs of trucks. The babies were even being thrown from the upper windows. And incredibly, the soldier requested and was given permission to catch the falling babies on his bayonet.

(ref. The Holocaust - the Jewish Tragedy by Martin Gilbert. ISBN 0 00 637194 9 )

There are so many historical inaccuracies and ludicrous details in Boyne's story. For example, Bruno's ignorance of the basics is simply impossible considering he would have been in the Hitler Youth and the Nazi education system. This travesty of the Holocaust is called a 'fable', as if with all its faults, it has some special claim to gravitas, thus giving Boyne a false justification for this lame expose of racism.

I was a member of the Jewish Holocaust Committee in Sydney for a while and once had to endure a young rabbi lecturing on how the Holocaust was God's punishment on the Jews. So, it seems there are fools both inside and outside the Jewish community.

Not a single pure ethnic German child entered a gas chamber as part of the extermination of the Jews. Although many died in Germany as part of the pre-war killing of disabled and retarded children. When protests brought this program to a close, the same staff were later sent to operate the gas chambers in the camps.

And for six million Jewish men, women, and children, there was no saviour. This bitter truth is too much for some people to accept. Some, like the young rabbi, take refuge in blaming the very victims. Others find comfort in sentimental fiction like Boyne's, which does no justice to these tragic, lost people.

Today, there are perverse forces abroad, from renowned historians to Catholic bishops, who would deny that the Holocaust ever took place or minimize it to an extraordinary degree. They use every discrepancy of detail as well as lies to justify their denial. So, for anyone touching on this subject, it is vital and morally incumbent on them to GET THE FACTS RIGHT.

There is an overwhelming library of riveting, emotional, inspiring, and tragic Holocaust stories out there, all of which are factual. You may have already delved into some of them. Boyne may even have led you to explore this topic further. But in the end, Boyne's work just deserves to fade away.

P.S. The Oscar-winning Foreign Language film of 1997, "Life is Beautiful", was also, not surprisingly, referred to as a 'fable'. It too is an implausible piece of Holocaust sentimentality and a way to avoid facing the harsh reality.

This story is truly remarkable.

I'm extremely glad that I finally got around to reading it. It has been a long time coming, as it took me years to actually pick up the book.

The movie that I watched last month served as the final nudge that I needed to finally embark on this literary journey.

Surprisingly, actually seeing the story unfold on the big screen was even worse in terms of the heartbreak and devastation that it evoked.

The book is such a powerful read, filled with intense emotions and thought-provoking themes.

However, it's important to note that it's not for the faint of heart.

It requires a certain level of emotional strength and resilience to fully immerse oneself in the story and truly understand its depth and significance.

Overall, I'm grateful for having read this story and would highly recommend it to others who are looking for a challenging and rewarding read.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

I purchased this old book a long time ago. It was already well-worn back then, and it is one book that I frequently re-read. No one should forget! I had my tissues prepared because, no matter how many times I read this, several parts really touch me.

A family relocates to their new home. Their father is a part of Hitler's forces. The servants are dressed in striped pajamas. The young boy is bored. He has no friends. He discovers a little boy to play with by a fence. He knows he isn't supposed to be there, but he is lonely.

The family lives adjacent to a concentration camp. The smoke billows from the chimneys almost constantly. Life in the home is also in a state of disarray.

The ending is as one would anticipate, but I never cease wondering. If this were real, would the Commander change?

SO SAD. T__T

Initial thoughts:

1. Well, to be honest, the book wasn't as heart-wrenchingly sad as the movie. Despite the extremely heavy subject matter, the point of view from the 9-year-old main character, Bruno, somehow managed to counteract that to a certain extent. His innocent perspective added a layer of naivete to the story.

2. Since the story closely follows Bruno's journey, it had a consistently innocent and naive quality throughout. The narrative never became overly graphic or dark. Instead, it presented the events in a way that was more accessible and perhaps even a bit charming, which made the contrast with the harsh reality all the more poignant.

3. I really liked the different dynamics between the various characters. From Bruno's interactions with Maria and Pavel, to Lieutenant Kotler, and especially Shmuel, there was genuine emotion palpable in every encounter. Each relationship added depth and complexity to the story.

4. And then there's THE ENDING. :O It was truly unexpected and left me in a state of shock and sadness.

5. Overall, it was a quick and easy read. The story flowed smoothly from one occurrence to another, gradually getting heavier and more tense as it progressed, building up to that powerful and devastating conclusion.

Click here to check out my book and movie review!

When his father is promoted to Commandant in the German army, Bruno's life takes a drastic turn. The family is uprooted from their cozy home in Berlin and relocated to a mysterious place called Out-With. At just nine years old, Bruno has no inkling of the true nature of his new environment.

He is completely oblivious to the horrors that are unfolding under the command of the German leader, the Fury, who pays a visit to the family one evening. Bruno is unimpressed by the small man with his tiny, ineffective moustache.

From Bruno's innocent eyes, the dreaded concentration camp appears as a place filled with numerous long huts and people wearing strange striped pyjamas. Starved for companionship, Bruno's explorations lead him to encounter a new friend, Shmuel. Shmuel is a boy of the same age, but for reasons Bruno cannot fathom, he looks like a small, sad, bony caricature of a normal boy.

Tragically, Bruno's innocence and his friendship with Shmuel will have disastrous consequences for his life and that of his family.

Written from young Bruno's perspective, the book may lack the visual impact that the movie provides, but it remains a valuable and heartbreaking novel. John Boyne skillfully approaches the topic of Auschwitz and the internment of the Jews from a fresh perspective. It is a thought-provoking novel from one of the top Irish writers. 4★

My advice would be to read the book before watching the movie.

A touching story of two little children. A barbed wire fence separates them in the concentration camps. A line that distinguishes the "superiors" from the "others". The innocence that governs little Bruno is overwhelming, as he doesn't know what is happening inside the buildings of the camp. He follows without hesitation the dangerous plan of his friend, which will have a fateful outcome.

The two friends will stay together forever, embraced.