Review Detail

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Review

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne is an emotional tale about a young boy called Bruno and his family. The story tells a life of Bruno having to move from his beloved home in Berlin to the dreaded landscape of Auschwitz.

The scene is set in Germany during the World War 2 and the story begins with 9yr old Bruno arriving at is luxurious house in berlin to find Maria the maid packing his clothes. As the family moves through the stages of getting to the new house it shows Brunos character of not liking change and not exited to see his new house.

Later on Bruno meets a new friend who is almost in a different world. Despite a fence separating their very different lives, Bruno and his friend, Shmuel have a flourishing relationship that gets stronger every day. You can see the trust in their eyes as they speak to each other. And the truly captivating moment when Bruno decides to go under the fence to help Shmuel find is father is inspiring.

This film shows the true meaning of friendship between the two boys. And it shows the difference between their lives. This helps the reader realise how the two different people from one side to the other overcome the cruelty of the Fury and the concentration camp that Shmuel is locked away in.

It also tells the story of Brunos family life and how it is falling apart. Father having this job that nobody really understands and Mothers side of not knowing what is going on in the camp until later on. When she finally finds out she becomes uncomfortable having the children near the camp. As for the sister Gretel, she is too much in love with lieutenant Kotler or Kurt as she calls him to realise the situation. By the end this family pretty much falls apart.

Overall I think this is an extraordinary book and film that everyone should know about so that everyone is aware of what sort of things happened in the war.