In reading books for the 52 Books in 52 Weeks book challenge, I have had the delight of reading some really good books. Dark, but good, books. There seems to be a trend in comtemporary novels--the darker the better. There have been some really interesting storylines and writing styles in modern books these days. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is no exception.
Bruno lives in Germany during World War II. His family is quite wealthy. Bruno is used to getting what he wants and living in luxury. They have to move, though, and everything changes. They move to a dark and dreary place called Out-With. The house that Bruno's family has to live in is very small. This is not at all what Bruno is used to. As it turns out, there is nothing about Out-With that Bruno finds satisfactory. There are no children here for Bruno to play with. As a result, Bruno becomes very lonely and wants to leave. His father, though, tells him that they can't leave as he is a soldier and it is his duty to take care of Out-With. If he left, he would be shamed by the Fury (the man who is Bruno's dad's boss.)
As time goes on, Bruno notices that on the other side of the fence, there are rows of men and children all wearing striped pajamas. One day, he goes on a trip of exploration and finds a boy, exactly his age, wearing striped pajamas, sitting by the fence. Bruno befriends the boy. The rest of the story is about this special friendship.
There are many stories out there about the Holocaust but not many of them are written from the viewpoint of a German, especially a young German boy. This book stands out due to the storyline. The ending is thought-provoking.