It is hard for the reader not to remember the basic features of this novel; its reading will not be to discover Bruno's innocence. He is a nine-year-old boy, the son of the officer in charge of a German concentration camp at the end of World War II. Many have the image in their memory of two children talking, separated by a metal fence.
The author was born in Dublin in 1971 and sets the story with two nine-year-old boys who were born on the same day in April 1934. One is from Berlin, and his father is a German military officer; the other is a boy who lives in an area surrounded by a metal fence. Two different worlds separate them, despite one wearing a strange "striped pajamas."
The German boy doesn’t understand the reason he had to leave his environment and move to a place where only soldiers are present and a little-known area lies on the other side of the fence, a place he shouldn’t approach. However, one day, bored, he decides to investigate and discovers that near the fence, on the other side, is a boy his age with whom he can talk. A secret and innocent agreement arises between them. Bruno realizes it is better not to say anything about his discovery.
Boyne tells a story with simplicity and narrative strength. Although the reading may start with prior knowledge of the plot, it is worth reading. The power of the image of a child on each side of the fence will only be surpassed by what is narrated in the book. If someone who is unaware of the story reads it, their reading will be different and valuable.