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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Summary

Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us.

Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust.

He’s oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country.

All he knows is that he has moved from Berlin to a desolate area where he has no one to play with.

Until he meets Shmuel.

Shmuel lives in a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence, where everyone wears a uniform of striped pyjamas.

Despite the wire fence separating them, the two boys become best friends.

As they grow closer, Bruno starts to learn the terrible truth that lies beyond the fence, and what life is like for his friend.

John Boyne’s classic novel explores the friendship and loss of innocence of Bruno and Shmuel, during one of the worst points in history.

Reviews

  • An account of a dreadful episode, short on actual horror but packed with overtones that remain in the imagination. Plainly and sometimes archly written, it stays just ahead of its readers before delivering its killer punch in the final pages
    Independent

About the author

John Boyne

John Boyne is the author of sixteen novels for adults, six for younger readers, and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart's Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes. His novels are published in sixty languages.


Twitter: @JohnBoyneBooks
Instagram: @JohnBoyneAuthor
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