I realize that I keep changing my rating and comments on this book, but I really can't decide how I feel about it. If you do decide to read this book, I suggest also reading the interview with the author found at the end of the book- it adds some new insight.

I've lost sleep over this book the last few nights, listening to my mind's self battle as it bounces back and forth between thoughts and opinions. (I've obviously found the book to be very thought-provoking if I'm still losing sleep over it.) I've read a lot of historical fiction books about WWII, but never from the viewpoint of the son a gestapo agent. The ending of the book has especially raised questions in my mind.

While the ending of the book was thought-provoking and somewhat startling, I found the these things in the book to be unrealistic:

#1- I struggled to believe that the main character could possibly be as naive as he was portrayed. I have a seven year old who, in every way, would have asked a million and twenty+ questions and seen the situation for what it was if he had grown up right next to "Out-With." Me simply giving him pat answers would not have sufficed.

The author taking the stance he did made a little more sense to me when my friend explained her mom's viewpoint that children who lived during the the 1940's did not ask as many questions as children do now days. For the most part, they accepted what was told to them from the adults they knew. She explained that this is how it was in her generation, and that the WWII era was even another generation back. This makes sense to me and I tell myself that there is a possibility that a child could be that naive, esp if his parents were trying to shield him from the war. So now I try not to compare all characters I read about with my own 7 year old.

However, that being said, I still have the following questions in my mind:

#2- Did Bruno's father loathe himself or know what he was doing is wrong and try to shield it from his son? I know that Bruno's grandmother didn't agree with what the Nazi Regime was doing and suspect that his mother wasn't a whole-hearted supporter either.

From what I have read about the indoctrination that was so prevalent in Germany at the time of WWII, I had to question the validity of a little boy whose father not only works for the Gestapo but is the head of Auschwitz, not knowing anything about what Hitler and his followers cunningly indoctrinated many of the German people with. Because of his father's job, it would have make more sense to me if Bruno had grown up in an environment where he was taught to hate Jews, where he was prepared to enter into the Hitler Youth Program, etc. even if his family was moved to Poland for a short time.