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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

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What to expect

Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution or 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.

Critics Review

A small wonder of a book... A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often
Guardian
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
Full of shocking juxtapositions and leads to a horrifying denouement ... this is a deeply affecting novel.
Sunday Times
A very human and profoundly moving introduction to one of the darkest moments in history.
The Good Book Guide
Author John Boyne
Narrator Michael Maloney
Duration 4 hours and 58 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781407001715
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Historical fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Second World War fiction, The Holocaust
Availability AU, GB, IE

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