Reviews

El niño con el pijama de rayas by John Boyne

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theoriginalbookdragon's review against another edition

4.0

And then, as Bruno got even closer, he saw that the thing was neither a dot nor a speck nor a blob nor a figure, but a person.
In fact it was a boy.

This book hit me hard.

I liked it a lot more than I thought I did, too; The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is one of those stories that just grows on you, despite its flaws.

Honestly…wow.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is the story of Bruno, the nine-year-old explorer who has three best friends for life and doesn’t like Out-With at all, even if they’re only there for the foreseeable future (whatever that means). That is, until he meets the boy on the other side of the fence—Shmuel, another nine-year-old boy who happens to share Bruno’s birthday and looks just like him, too, only skinnier. Then, things start to get better for Bruno; he has a friend, Gretel (the Hopeless Case) stays out of his way, his mother doesn’t seem to be needing as many medicinal sherries, and, best of all, Lieutenant Kotler is long gone. But as we all know, good things only scarcely last….

I think one of the most important aspects of this tale was the perspective it was told from. Choosing a nine-year-old to tell the horrific story of the Holocaust was very clever (although I’m sure the author is aware of that); it allows the reader to experience the whole thing in a new way. Although most (if not all) know the basics of this event, Bruno doesn’t; we get to find out all this crucial information as Bruno does. It’s also a classic way to keep the reader hooked: the more you thirst for the unknown, the longer you read on.

That’s one of the main things that kept my mind churning, I’ll admit: the absence of information. Who’s Bruno’s father? Why are they moving? What happened with the Fury? Etcetera, etcetera.

Another great thing was the friendship between Bruno and Shmuel. I liked the innocence portrayed by the two boys (again, perspective choice—brilliant), even as they revealed their pasts and the horrors that have happened to them. It allowed them to build and hold onto the friendship they treasured, in spite of little things like, say, a war.

But, ouch, those last two chapters! I think when Shmuel said, “I never see the people after they’ve gone on a march,” I knew. Or, at least, suspected. I don’t know; one thing I do remember quite clearly was gasping at his words, though. Given the subject of this novel, it’s not that hard to guess at its close; however, that doesn’t make it any less meaningful or impactful.

One criticism I did have for this book, though, was the author’s apparent distaste for commas in prose. I’ll give him this: it did get slightly better throughout (or I just got used to the writing style); however I did find the lack of commas in the writing just annoying. It’s a small complaint, but still relevant.

All in all, I honestly can say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected or thought. Despite its terrible roots, the story had me hanging on, split in two: half of me wanting to keep reading, the other half thinking about stopping. Of course, the former most always won out. :)

‘You’re my best friend, Shmuel,’ he said. ‘My best friend for life.’

And that’s the end of the story about Bruno and his family. Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again.
Not in this day and age.

notlikeamovie's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

peggy24's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I saw the movie and a friend recommended the book. Told from the POV of a young boy whose father is a nazi officer. This is one of those stories where the reader knows the history and the tension comes from wanting to tell the character, don’t go down in the basement. A worthwhile read.