A review by peter_fischer
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

3.0

A Nazi concentration camp in WW2 observed through the eyes of two 9-year old boys, one an inmate, the other the son of the Commandant: an interesting and morally tricky juxtaposition, since both boys retain much of their innocence and are unaware of the reasons for the existence of the camp. The end of the book is especially original and poignant but otherwise the story is straight out of ‘Creative Writing 101’, although very well written, as one has come to expect from a writer of Boyne’s calibre. It just occurred to me that the author probably intended this book for children. Good luck to the parents who get to answer the inevitable question young readers will ask!