This historical fiction novel starts of with the main character Bruno a nine year old adventurous German boy, whose father is a commandant for Hitler’s dictatorship. When his father is assigned commandant he has no other choice than to follow orders and move from his majestic house in the centre of Berlin to the outskirts where from his new room window sees a concentration camp which to him looks like a city. Lost and confused with nothing to do Bruno heads off one day through the forest to find out why those people are there. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas shows discrimination through out the book. For example one night when one of the solders is over for dinner Pavel the waiter for Bruno’s family spills wine over him and is beat and yelled because he lived in Poland. Another example was when Hitler was over for dinner and Bruno’s sister stated “And I can also speak French” Hitler’s response was “Yes but why would you want to”(122pg). A good strategies the author uses is his writing style keeps the reader in suspense during the whole book.
Fans that are interested in Historical Fiction and Holocaust stories will enjoy this novel. This book is similar to The Devil’s Arithmetic because both characters are in the Holocaust. Aslo they share the same faith that leaves the reader with a satisfied resolution.