On with the word-nerddom!
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
John Boyne
215 pages, Reading Time: 4 hours
Inside cover reads: The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, 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 encounter such a fence.
Initial Reaction: I'm only on page 12, and already the writing style is boring me. I need to relax a bit about it, because it is juvenile fiction, but the word choice and sentence structure are so choppy that I'm annoyed. The upside? I feel like I'm going to polish this off in one day.
"The rules that always applied to children never seemed to apply to grown-ups at all" (59). That peeves me a little bit.
Ok. So I finished the book after a few hours, and I have a few thoughts. Initially, the choppy sentence structure fades a little bit after the first half of the book. Boyne does a good job of telling a short story. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a fable, after all. I think the thing that Boyne does best, though, is to shroud his writing in mystery. He leaves out certain words, or makes his protagonist mispronounce them, he only hints at extreme violence or alludes the fact that something is amiss. He never actually tells us; he shows it. We know that Shmuel is starving in a concentration camp, but he never actually says it directly. He shows the reader. He never actually says that one of the Nazi officers beats the Jewish waiter, but he shows Bruno's reaction to the situation. I can appreciate this style and approach, but I don't like it very much.
One thing that did stand out consistently throughout the book is the way Bruno behaves towards others (besides his sister). He has manners. He considers the feelings of others. He knows etiquette. He is 9. For example:
"He turned and walked away and Bruno noticed again just how small and skinny his new friend was. He didn't say anything about this because he knew only too well how unpleasant it was being criticized for something as silly as your height, and the last thing he wanted to do was be unkind to Shmuel" (132-33).
Comments like this are peppered throughout the book, and they make my parent-heart smile. What DOESN'T make my parent heart smile is the fact that Boyne alludes to the infidelity and possible affair that Bruno's mother has with one of the Nazi officers:
"Oh, Kurt, precious, you're still here," said Mother, stepping out of the kitchen and coming towards them. "I have a little free time now if-- Oh!" she said, noticing Bruno standing there. "Bruno! What are you doing here?" (165-66).
Promote Virtue? Yes. Kindness, generosity, and patience (somewhat). Obedience.
Transcendentals? Hard to say with this one. Boyne's fable focuses on the horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camp through the perspective of an innocent and ignorant young boy. There is no truth uncovered and or horrifying reaction to it from our protagonist. We see a little of it coming from his mother, who wants to take the children back to their former home, but any child who reads this book, who knows nothing of the Holocaust, won't come to any brutally truthful conclusions about the gas chambers or living conditions. Goodness and beauty are definitely present in the way that Bruno treats others with kindness and generosity.
Overcome human condition? Bruno does make an effort to check his language. We see inside his head, which offers us a unique perspective regarding the rules and guidelines of his house. We learn what he really thinks about them, but he still acts as he ought. For the most part, he is a good and obedient young boy.
Attitude toward Catholicism? Well, there is none present in this book. However, Boyne was Baptized Catholic and is a survivor of abuse from Catholic priests and laypersons. I didn't know that until I looked him up on the internet just now. He is definitely suffering from these wounds and needs prayers. He seemed to be quite anti-Catholic for a time, but after writing one of his more recent novels (for adults), A History of Loneliness (which I haven't read), he admits:
"The challenge for me was to write a novel about the other priest, the genuine priest, the one who has given his life over to good works and finds himself betrayed by the institution to which he has given everything. In doing so, I was trying to uncover goodness where I had spent a lifetime finding evil.
I interviewed many priests who will not venture out while wearing their habits in case they are spat at; others who are terrified of finding themselves alone with a child in case they are wrongfully accused. Their pain, and their compassion for the victims of abuse, moved me and forced me to confront my own prejudices." (source)
It seems that there is definitely a healing process going on, which is good. However, I'm not sure at this point that I'd like to read anything else by him because of this kind of rhetoric. I definitely don't want it in our house.
Paganry? NA
Swearing? None
Violence? Allusions to a beating
Appropriate age? I would have to say that this would be for 12+, even though it's written from a 9-year-old perspective. This book leaves MUCH to be desired, and I can see a young child wanting answers to lots of questions after reading. I think it would be a great springboard for a kid who is interested in history, but I'm just not quite sure that any kid below 6th grade is ready to handle the Holocaust.
Writing Style: Boyne's style begins with the choppy, sloppy, frantic pace of a 9-year-old, and slowly progresses into a more intellectual tone, throwing in the occasional dollar word in a dime sentence. It's an easy read: quick, clean, no nonsense. I do not like the arrogant way in which he ends the book. The last two sentences are kind of a turn-off. But, they do make you think which, I guess, is his point.
Notable Quoteables: None. Wow. None.
Great words: incredulous (the narrator uses it, and it feels completely out of place), insolent (an adult says it), simpered
Final Summation:
I find this book frustrating. Boyne has written Bruno to be a clever little boy who has his own opinions and likes adventures. However, his stubborn way of keeping Bruno shielded from the situation in total ignorance, even as it stares him in the face, is extremely disappointing. Bruno does not grow. He is a static character that stays the same throughout the fable. He doesn't really learn anything. He is already a relatively kind child, and he shows Shmuel kindness because that's who he is. This book really does nothing for the reader except challenges them to think about his last two sentences: "Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age" (216).
Seriously? I read that and thought, "what the hell?" Everyone also seems to love this book. It's got a lot of hype. And I'm not really into hype. So, therefore:
To cheer you up, here are two original memes that I made for the last Valentine's day I ever spent as a single:
This one was actually featured in an article on dating advice that my brother-in-law sent to my husband about 3 months before we even met each other. Hilarious. And no, my husband did not take her advice. He is introverted, after all.
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