"But when they asked Bruno what his father did he opened his mouth to tell them, then realized he didn't know himself. All he could say was that his father was a man to watch and that the Fury had big things in mind for him. Oh, and that he had a fantastic uniform, too."
Powerfully written and compelling this is a story of two young boys…each in his way naïve to the gravity of the life that surrounds them. ‘The Fury’ gives Bruno’s father a key post in his government and the family very reluctantly moves from Berlin. Although he is not allowed to talk to them, the people in striped pajamas who live behind the fence next door intrigue Bruno. In time, he meets a boy his own age named Shmuel and they become fast friends. They meet secretly near the fence and share secrets and playtime. When Shmuel’s father goes missing, Bruno is quick to make the decision to help him. He dons striped pajamas and climbs under the fence where all of their secret meetings have taken place. It is heartbreaking to know the fate of both boys, and the agonizing heartbreak that results.
In talking about this book with others, I have heard readers say that it is hard to believe that these boys would have no idea what was going on in their own backyard, so to speak. I disagree. I found the story believable, while being appalled by all that was happening. They were young boys, who had no sense of Hitler's power and his venomous path. They were doing what boys do. Sensing vulnerability in each other and the need for a friend, they bonded and became fast friends who shared so much in the lonely and disquieting places they lived. The story will long live in my memory.
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