I usually don’t read famous books, but this one slipped into my hands at random.It´s one of those books which is likely to make you cry sweetly and smile at the same time. I’m speaking about The boy in the striped pyjamas (El niño con el pijama de rayas), Irish writer John Boyne’s fourth novel, but his first written for children. It’s a moving story of the naive friendship between two boys. One of them is 9-year-old Bruno, who grows up in Berlin during World War II and lives in a stately home with his parents and his 11-year-old sister, Gretel They have servants in their house, and it is one of them, Maria, who is fearfully tender with him, that Bruno has more contact with. One day Bruno’s father is visited by an unpleasant important man, “Fury”, and because of it Bruno’s family has to move to another place, a totally different place. Bruno’s life and, of course, his family’s change so radically that Bruno feels absolutely shocked and disoriented.
The style is clear, maybe (if somewhat) naïve, but describes situations with such subtle innocence and harshness that you can’t stop reading.The characters are carefully well-drawn; not only the main ones but also the supporting characters, who contribute realism and brightness to the tale.I recommend you to read it with as little information as possible. It’s a surprising story for its freshness, and a harsh analysis of the human race, where an inkling of faith still remains.