Saturday, November 17, 2007

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
by John Boyne

Published in 2006. 218 pages.


I had The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on my to-read list earlier this year, so I jumped at the chance to read and discuss it with the Book Buddies. I knew the basic premise of the book - a young boy whose father is a commandant at "Out-With" befriends a Jewish boy of the same age on the other side of the fence - but I was completely unprepared for how profound I would find it to be.

The subtitle of this book is A Fable. It can be read as a simple young adult historical fiction novel, but I think that it is much more. My thesaurus says that fable, allegory, and parable are synonyms, each meaning "a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life." To me, that is what this book is. I do not think the book was intended to be read literally - although the setting and situation are historical. It is because the book is a fable that it has great power - power to make us contemplate its message, power to alter our thinking, power to stay with us for a long time.

(You can read more of my thoughts about the book in my posts on the Book Buddies blog here and here. But be forewarned: there are spoilers there, as the discussion is based on the premise that the participants have already read the book.)

2007.68

5 comments:

  1. I wonder why it seems like this is the time of year for everyone to read historical novels.

    I'm almost done with Tan Twan Eng's amazing "The Gift of Rain." I don't seek out historical novels, but the good ones can be truly amazing.

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  2. Can't wait to read this. First, I have to finish Eat, Pray, Love. I have marked so many passages that I know I will never get back to. I am also reading Kabul Beauty School. Really interesting.

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  3. I am excitedly looking forward to reading this. Thanks for the great review.

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  4. I'd never heard of this one, but it's going right to my wish list now! Sounds wonderful! My daughter and I are doing Animal Farm for school right now. Sounds like this would be a wonderful follow-up as an example of another allegory. And that's all beside the fact that it just sounds like a really good, powerful book! Thank, Alison!

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  5. I must read this one soon. Maybe postpone the reading of Eragon and finish this one first. It's been sitting in my TBR for more than 2 months...

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