No child's play - a smallie but a goodie (Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne)

Member Name: thriftyminx13

Product:	Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Date:	04/01/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: small, quick to read

Disadvantages: you'll be awake all night caught up in the story

When i first picked up this book in the local library after hearing about it at the movies, I literally said to myself "is that it?"

This isn't a blockbuster or long read by any means and indeed I found it in the kids section of the library. But boy, was I put in my place.

PLOT***

Set amongst the times of concentration camps it is a story of a family uprooted at the personal request of Hitler to guard a concentration camp.

Taken from a child's point of view, it is a naive outlook as to a child looking out a window and seeing a fence, and seeing people behind the fence and allowing a combination of boredom and curiousity to get the better of him.

I'm sure the movie has in some way changed the plot as they always do, but i thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I took the naive approach that the book was thin and would therefore be a doddle to read at night (as i like to read a few pages before I go to sleep). but it wasn't a doddle...it was almost a need to read it as quickly as possible to find out what was going to happen.

The kind of book as a child you read under the duvet with a torch (but maybe would not have appreciated) but as an adult you still stay up longer than you mean too, almost skimming the pages just to find out what happens.

and if you are not moved physically by tears then it will profoundly affect you. I read this moths ago and still clearly remember the entire story which is sometimes a rare commodity.

Summary: it's hard to say you'll enjoy it given subject matter - but you'll love this!