Imagine an impassable fence, one that divides two very different lives. On one side lies a nine-year-old German boy, and on the other, his only friend ? a forbidden friend.

In Irish novelist John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, also a recent motion picture, the author examines the life of Bruno and his relationship with a Jewish boy during the Holocaust.

Set in the 1940s, the story begins as Bruno’s father receives a promotion to the rank of Commandant in Hitler’s Nazi Army. He moves with his family away from the bustling city of Berlin to a solitary house in Poland, dubbed “Out-With” in Bruno’s childish tongue.

At first sight of his new home, Bruno whines to return to Germany. With only his busy father, his mother, a “hopeless case” for an older sister, a quiet maid and the many stern soldiers passing through the area as company, Bruno feels deprived of child companionship. Every day he wishes for a friend with whom he can play and talk.

The plot accelerates when Bruno notices a towering, expansive fence from his bedroom window. He spots hundreds of strangers in dirty, striped pajamas and wonders what lies beyond the barrier.

Despite his father’s warning to never approach that place, Bruno’s adventurous spirit and loneliness compel him to explore the perimeter of the fence. From a distance, Bruno makes out the silhouette of a skinny boy about the same age as him, and creeps closer for a better view. Now as close as the barrier permits, Bruno learns the boy’s name, Shmuel, and they begin a secret friendship.

Amid several insignificant events at Out-With, the story centers around the budding friendship between Bruno and Shmuel and leads to the devastating end to their relationship.

Complete with just over 200 pages, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas made a quick read. Not only because of the short length, but also because it made me feel as though a climactic event lay just around each corner.

The back cover of the book informs readers that “fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one.” The author’s message underscores the severity of Bruno’s situation, even if he fails to realize it.

Although Boyne bases the story on a sensitive subject, he weaves together the pages with a very unbiased, three-fold perspective: Bruno’s na