The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne is this week’s book recommendation.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Children’s Classic

Why should you pick it up?

This again is a story set during the Second World War. But what is unique about it is that this is from the perspective of a child who is oblivious to the war and the heinous acts being committed around it.

The book takes you on a journey through the eyes of Bruno, a German child, who is forced to move from his house in Berlin to one near a concentration camp due to his father’s promotion.

While getting accustomed to his new surroundings,  Bruno observes the camp from the eyes of a child. The new place, the new house makes him restless and he sets out to explore the surrounding areas and that’s when he comes across a Jewish boy from the camp. Of course, he has no idea that the boy is Jewish or in the camp to be possibly exterminated. The two boys become friends and it is here that you realise how the war or any war robs away childhood from unassuming children.

The book will make you emotional. It will make you question man’s decisions as adults. More importantly, it will touch you deeply. So, you must read it. Without giving away more, let me leave you with the blurb.

Blurb

When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Link to purchase on Amazon:

The book is available in Paperback and as a Kindle edition. So, what are you waiting for?

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Vintage Children’s Classics)

Link to Good Reads: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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This post is a series of weekly book recommendations on the blog. Have fun reading! Please note this is not a book review, just a book recommendation.

This post contains affiliate links but recommendations are based on my own reading experience. If you choose to purchase this book through the link shared above, I’ll get a commission at no extra cost to you.

If you like historical fiction, you might like the below books.