Monday, August 6, 2007

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne


My Rating: 7/10

While reading numerous fictions, sometimes, you encounter a book which is written in unconventional way…This is one of those books. This book is different in every sense: firstly, I saw that there was no excerpt of the story on the jacket cover! It merely says:

“…The story is very difficult to describe….We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about….”

So, I had no clue what is the story about. But as I read through the first few chapters, I could guess the theme. Nevertheless, it was very refreshing and different from other books. Well, I am not going to reveal the suspense to you (in case you wish to read it!). I would just tell you few interesting writing skills of the author.

The book is narrated by a 9-year old boy Bruno and his family. While reading, one can actually feel that it is indeed a nine-year old boy telling the story in his own simple language. There are moments in the novel when you would understand what’s going on but the innocent boy has no clue…so at those times, I felt like warning him about the precarious situation but in vain…

The titles of the chapters are also quite interesting: “the hopeless case”(which is Bruno’s sister), ‘ out of bounds at all times and no exceptions( which is Bruno’s dad’s office), ‘ how mother took credit for something that she hadn’t done’ ....

All in all, a worthwhile read…

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