Reviews

John Boyne's novels can always be relied upon to be thought provoking and moving, and when you're about to settle down and read the sequel to the heart wrenching "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" you know you're in for an emotional ride.
First of all, this is such a brave and profound novel to write. Gretel Frensby is a 91 year old widower, living comfortably in London and hiding from her past. Her Father was the Commandant of a holocaust camp, where her brother, Bruno was murdered in the gas chambers. The novel travels back in time and focuses on the modern day, describing how Gretel and her mother tried to relocate in Paris after the war, Gretel's escape to Sydney and how she finally settled in London, forever dealing with her part in the greatest horror of modern history. She does all she can to avoid young boys, but when a family moves in downstairs with a 9 year old son, Henry, Gretel needs to finally face her past in order to save Henry.
This is a beautiful piece of writing. Gretel is a wonderfully and sensitively rendered character. Despite her years, she's still sharp as an axe, with a delicious dry sense of humour and sarcasm. As a reader, you can't help but be drawn to her, and yet she is deeply flawed. Her whole life is shaped by the events of her youth and her guilt about what happened and her families involvement. This is deeply emotive novel about culpability and raises questions about those who merely standby and watch evil without ever doing anything about it.
I'm huge fan of Boyne, The Hearts invisible Furies will always be one of my favourite novels. I loved this novel. It's definitely has a very different feel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but is a brilliant sequel.
I can't thank the publishers and Netgalley enough for providing me with an E-Arc in return for an honest review.