** 4.5 stars **
Similarly to ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz (TToA)’, I find it hard to write a review to this book. The theme is just so vast and so complex.
Nevertheless, I’d like to try and relate the thoughts and feelings I had while reading this story.
Unlike TToA this story is fiction relating to a real point in history, yet it neither lacked authenticity nor depth.
Especially the choice to write it (more or less fully) from Bruno’s point of view gave the story a very unique voice, since so many other stories about wars are written from an adult’s point of view.
Even though I found the film to be a tad more emotional (especially the ending), I very much liked the style of writing. Accompanying Bruno through the move from Germany to Poland, in his encounters with others, and seeing the world through his eyes made this quite special.
It’s not easy to write kids when you’re an adult yourself with other priorities and ways to look at things, but I think the author did a very good job on this.
The fact that Bruno parrots the things he hears and hasn’t got the skillset yet to see how Schmuel’s life and his experiences might differ from his own. That his friend might not have had the same upbringing in regards to values, comfort and prestige.
Bruno is not yet old enough to grasp the concept of social status, and everything that came with the war, fully.
Of course, mostly the adults in his life who don’t tell him about it are to be blamed, but it’s also due to his age, I think.
The scene with Schmuel in the kitchen is one that might argue my point, but, in my opinion, this is a situation wherein Bruno is old enough to notice and identify Kurt Kotler’s being mean and unpleasant to be around, but he doesn’t see the whole picture.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story, and I’m surprised at some of the low ratings and reviews. But this just proves again hiw very subjective reading is.
