There are many world war II novels written but very few move you to tears. This book is definitely one of those rare books you can find. There is a popular movie adaption of the same book as well (I heard the movie and book are equally good but the read the book first 😉 )
Sitting around miserable all day won’t make you any happier.
In 1942, Bruno, a playful nine-year-old comes back home from school one day, to discover his family needs to move to Auschwitz. When Bruno learns that his father’s promotion was the reason his family needs to leave Berlin behind, he is quite upset. In Auschwitz, the closest place to his home is the concentration camp. Out of boredom, one day he goes exploring to the fence of the camp to know something about the people living on the other side of the barbed wire. He meets a boy named Shmuel, who shares the same birth date as Bruno. Fascinated by this encounter Bruno visits Shmuel every day at the fence. Read the book to find out what happens over the course of time.
Holocaust is one of the barbaric acts by mankind and it can never be forgotten. In this book, we get to see the horrifying living conditions of Jews from the eyes of an innocent young boy. This gives readers a different perspective on the families of German soldiers. The writing style of this novel is fairly simple yet the words leave an impact on reader’s mind.
I absolutely loved the conversations between Shmuel and Bruno; especially when they compare and contrast their lifestyles. Bruno’s conviction in his father speaks volumes about human relationships and the love we share. The review is not complete without mentioning the ending. Oh! What an ending! It made me emotional (yes, some tears were involved as well) and it was heart-breaking but I loved it.
In one line I would say, it’s a heart-breaking innocent take on Holocaust. I would recommend it to all those people who can’t get enough of historical fiction. I would suggest everyone above 12 years read this short but impactful book.
We don’t have the luxury of thinking … Some people make all the decisions for us
Reader's POV 
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