Product Description

What happens when innocence is confronted by monstrous evil?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Synopsis
Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.

From the Inside Flap
The story of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.

Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to cross such a fence.

From the Back Cover
What happens when innocence is confronted by monstrous evil?

Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country.All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas.

Bruno’s friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation.And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.

‘The Holocaust as a subject insists on respect, precludes criticism, prefers silence.One thing is clear: this book will not go gently into any good night’
OBSERVER

‘An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war…Raw literary talent at its best’
IRISH INDEPENDENT

‘A book that lingers in the mind for quite some time…A subtle, calculatedly simple and ultimately moving story’
IRISH TIMES

‘Simply written and highly memorable.There are no monstrosities on the page but the true horror is all the more potent for being implicit’
IRELAND ON SUNDAY

‘Stays ahead of its readers before delivering its killer-punch final pages’
INDEPENDENT

Customer Reviews

Thought-provoking, disturbing, a great read!!
It is difficult to review this book without giving out the plot details, and half the fun (an incongruous word given the plot matter) is in slowly discovering the context of the story, the plot setting and the truth about the characters in the background

The book starts off looking like a growing-up story of a nine-year old, before the mood gets darker as the plot is revealed. The author's light touch and his success in showing the mindset of an ordinary cheerful kid creates a disturbing effect on the reader - the story gets progressively darker while the main character remains oblivious to the reality of the events around him.

This is a short book and the gripping nature of the tale ensures that the book is finished reading in a short period. But, once finished, you can bet that the reader would go back and reread some of the sections. And then pick up this book after some time to read it again cover to cover.

Highly recommended!!

No words describle how bad this book is
I can comfortable say that this is one of the worst books I have ever read.
The author knows nothing of this time so it is nowhere near accurate.
He has put in annoying English puns, they are German.
I do not for a second believe that a child that age can be that ignorant about what's going on.
Yes, I know it's about him being innocent but that child was just ignorant.

I could go on but I'll just say it's sad that people find this book so good, I am just glad that I didn't live through what the people in the camps did because I would be insulted by the treatment the this book has given it.
It's not worth reading. There is a book I want to read about the holocaust by someone who lived through it as a child and only barely managed to survive, he now lives in the same town as me and can bring a room full of people to tears when he talks about it. That's the Holocaust book people should be reading not this dribble.

Great book
Really enjoyed this book and didnt know anything about it, this is the best way to read it. Easy read as it is a kids book but us adults all really liked it and it made me cry which is always a good sign.