Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

'A small wonder of a book . . . A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often' GuardianWhat happens when innocence is confronted by monstrous evil?Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country.All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas.Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation.And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.'The Holocaust as a subject insists on respect, precludes criticism, prefers silence. One thing is clear: this book will not go gently into any good night'OBSERVER'An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war...Raw literary talent at its best'IRISH INDEPENDENT'A book that lingers in the mind for quite some time...A subtle, calculatedly simple and ultimately moving story'IRISH TIMES'Simply written and highly memorable.There are no monstrosities on the page but the true horror is all the more potent for being implicit'IRELAND ON SUNDAY'Stays ahead of its readers before delivering its killer-punch final pages'INDEPENDENT

A small wonder of a book . . . A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often, The Holocaust as a subject insists on respect, precludes criticism, prefers silence. One thing is clear: this book will not go gently into any good night, An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war . . . Raw literary talent at its best, A book that lingers in the mind for quite some time . . . A subtle, calculatedly simple and ultimately moving story, Simply written and highly memorable. There are no monstrosities on the page but the true horror is all the more potent for being implicit

John Boyne is the author of fourteen novels for adults, six for younger readers, and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart's Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes. His novels are published in fifty-eight languages.Twitter: @JohnBoyneBooksInstagram: @JohnBoyneAuthor