No. of pages: 216
Rating: 8/10
Synopsis: This work was set in Berlin, 1942. 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 what 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.
Review: The book is written from 9 year old Bruno's point of view as his father, a soldier for "The Fury" moves the family to "Out-With" Camp, a deserted place, where all Bruno knows are that the people on the other side of the fence wear the same pyjamas all the time and he's not allowed to go near them. Bruno knows nothing of the war or the persecution against the Jews and so the book could be perceived as from a naive angle. I actually think it's just pure innocence as his parents make sure to hide everything from him through out the book, but it's pretty easy as the reader to pick up what is happening. I loved Bruno as a character, and thought the friendship between him and Shmuel was very sad, as Bruno was quite oblivious to what was happening to Shmuel, even though commenting himself on how thin and pale he is. It's a very easy read, and although I could see the ending coming, I was shocked it actually played out as it did. I really enjoyed reading it, and now I want to read more about the realities of concentration camps during the war, and so shall be looking into that soon!
