Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (Spoiler-Free)

After all, the great joy of literature, as opposed to politics or religion, is that it embraces differing opinions, it encourages debate, it allows us to have heated conversations with our closest friends and dearest loved ones. And through it all, no one gets hurt, no one gets taken away from their homes, and no one gets killed. - John Boyne (Introduction) The title page of this book reads, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a fable by John Boyne. It seems as though many people gloss over the word "fable" and jump to point out that the events of this book are idealistic, oversimplified, and downright historically inaccurate. I don't think they understood the way in which Boyne decided to tell the story. Boyne doesn't try to suggest that anything that occurred within these pages actually happened, or could have happened; the entire story is allegorical. It's beautiful because of the style of its narration, the inner thoughts of Bruno and how he observes his family from a naive perspective. In no way is Boyne suggesting that the specific events of this book are something that would have ever happened. This story isn't about the events of the Holocaust, it's about humanity, how history repeats itself, and it eloquently points out why it shouldn't. Why we must reflect everyday on the stupidity of hatred, because we are all human. I loved this novel because I read it as the fable it is.