The Gist
The book “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” is a popular book that does not need a reason for a reader to pick.
The fictional novel written by John Boyne is based on the friendship of two nine-year-old boys, imagined during the incident of the Holocaust during World War II, where millions of Jews were incarcerated by German Nazis until they were killed.
This is the story of Bruno and Shmuel. The two boys of the same age, sharing the same birthday but living an entirely different life.
Bruno had to move from Berlin to Auschwitz along with his family because his father was in charge of the concentration camp whereas Shmuel was brought to the camp from Poland along with his father as a prisoner.
On moving from Berlin, Bruno had to leave all his old friends behind and there were no children to play with at his new home. He felt gloomy and bored all day.
Though he was prohibited to walk toward the fenced camp, he decided to explore the area where he found Shmuel sitting all alone near the fence.
The two boys can’t be on either side of the fence, can’t play together, can’t share their lives. Despite the weirdest situation, they became friends and they decided to keep their friendship a secret.
A lot was going around them but the boys were oblivious to the reality.
Read this book to know how the circumstances had brought the boys together. How friendship develops between them. How far they could hide their friendship and what were the consequences of their friendship.
My Review
The significance of the story is portrayed from the relationship between the two boys. Friendship does not understand status or standards. It does not see race or color. It just knows to care for one another, if necessary even sacrifice for one another.
Though in reality there could not be any possibility of two boys secretly meeting near the fence and were not found by any soldiers. But the story could not be criticized for providing such impossible incidents during the holocaust.
As the author is trying to educate us that in an attempt to sustain power and rule over the inferior, humans often forget the malicious activities performed by them. They snatch the livelihood of the common people. Their dignity is thrashed and they are left in a devastating condition. Thousands of innocent lives become victims of the situation.
The story takes you back to history, makes you ponder over the incident, and gives you a chance to introspect.
About Book
- The book is written in very simple language and written from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy.
- The book is about 216 pages with a read time of about 2 hours.
- The book is available in Hardcover and Paperback on Amazon, ebook on Kindle, audiobook on audible.