Toen de wereld brak

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas #2

by John Boyne, Anke Frerichs (translator), Ton Heuvelmans (translator)

De nieuwe, grote roman van John Boyne: het vervolg op de bestseller De jongen in de gestreepte pyjama volgt Bruno's zus Gretel, en verkent via haar op meeslepende en ontroerende wijze de nasleep van de oorlog en de effecten van een levenslang schuldgevoel

Gretel Fernsby woont al tientallen jaren in een luxe appartement in Londen. Ze leidt een ogenschijnlijk comfortabel en kalm leven, ondanks haar donkere verleden. Ze spreekt niet over haar ontsnapping uit Duitsland meer dan zeventig jaar geleden. Ze spreekt ook niet over de naoorlogse jaren in Frankrijk met haar moeder. En bovenal spreekt ze niet over haar vader, commandant van het meest beruchte concentratiekamp van de nazi’s, of over het gruwelijke lot dat haar broertje Bruno onderging.

Dan komt er een jong gezin wonen in het appartement onder haar. Gretel sluit aarzelend vriendschap met de negenjarige Henry, hoewel hij herinneringen bij haar oproept die ze juist probeert te vergeten.

Toen de wereld brak is een hartverscheurend, prachtig verhaal over een vrouw die haar verleden onder ogen moet komen om iets recht te zetten wat haar al levenslang achtervolgt.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, World War II, Holocaust, Audiobook

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2022

About the author

I was born in Dublin, Ireland, and studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by UEA.

I’ve published 14 novels for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, and a short story collection. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was a New York Times no.1 Bestseller and was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 11 million copies worldwide.

Among my most popular books are The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky and My Brother’s Name is Jessica.

I’m also a regular book reviewer for The Irish Times.

In 2012, I was awarded the Hennessy Literary ‘Hall of Fame’ Award for my body of work. I’ve also won 4 Irish Book Awards, and many international literary awards, including the Que Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.

My novels are published in 58 languages.

My 14th adult novel, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES, a sequel and companion novel to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, will be published in the UK on September 15th 2022, in the US and Canada on November 29th, and in many foreign language editions in late 2022 and 2023.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

Gretel Fernsby is in her nineties, but she’s bright as a button and sharp as a knife - she has to be, because Gretel has a secret, a secret that she’s carried with her for most of her life, one she’s determined to keep to herself.

In 1946, German born Gretel, and her mother escaped Poland for Paris, after a monumental event took place in their personal lives. Physically they may have fled their past, but psychologically, the shame and accompanying fear meant they would never really find peace.

In present day London, widowed Gretel lives in an upmarket luxury apartment block, where each apartment is worth many millions, but she likes a quiet life, rarely bothers with the neighbours (except for one lady across the landing), and she sees her son only occasionally. Her preference for privacy means there’s less chance of anyone finding out about her life during the Second World War, that is until 9 year old Henry moves into the apartment below hers!

Sequel to the hugely successful The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, All The Broken Places is a moving story about grief, guilt and complicity. Needless to say, that with John Boyne at the helm, we’re treated to a storyline full of insight, from the ugliness of life through to the purity of love. Don’t miss this one!

*I was invited to read All The Broken Places by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

i visited auschwitz for the first time a few months ago and, at the end of the tour, the guide recommended some books to read to continue our education of the holocaust and the crimes against humanity that occurred during it. he also adamantly warned us away from JBs well-known book ‘the boy in the striped pajamas,’ as it spreads some harmful inaccuracies. the museum even took to twitter about it (source).

so i was curious as to the purpose of this sequel. i picked it up hoping the story would be a way for JB acknowledge the criticism he has faced over the past 16 years and try to right his wrongs. however, its very much just him doubling down and one of the things that makes ‘the boy in the striped pajamas’ dangerous is present in this book (i.e. trying to manipulate the reader into sympathising with (some) nazis).

i love so many of JBs other books and they will always hold a very dear place in my heart. but, when it comes to this particular situation/story, JB is showing his true colours as a person and im not sure i personally like the look.

but to each their own. readers who can understand that this is a work of fiction with specific flaws should have no problem with it. and while i do think there might be some decent underlying intentions with this sequel and, from a narrative standpoint, i found the story engaging, i honestly wouldnt recommend it to someone looking for a novel about the holocaust or its effects after the war.

thanks for the ARC, penguin group.

↠ 2.5 stars

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.

I have to admit I have some prejudice against sequels released years after a popular first installment. It seems to me that they are usually not needed and are just an author's way of capitalizing on the success of their most popular work, or else catering to demanding fans. They often read like fanfiction. I can't help wondering if their ideas have just run dry. The Testaments, Go Set a Watchman, even Doctor Sleep... I can do without them, to be honest.

But this was really good. I just recently read Boyne's Water, and between that and All the Broken Places it is clear Boyne is keen to explore themes of culpability and complicity. How much are we to blame for the crimes of those close to us? Is one guilty by association? What is our responsibility as a bystander? And can we be forgiven?

All the Broken Places jumps between the past, in which Gretel and her mother escape from Nazi Germany and attempt to rebuild their lives in a world with very good reason to hate them, and the present, in which ninety-one-year-old Gretel finds herself once again a witness to the suffering of innocents. She can't change the past, of course, but can she make a difference now?

The story is propulsive, pages flying by in my need to read what happens next. John Boyne remains one of my favourite storytellers.

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Boyne writes a superb and profoundly moving sequel to his The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as he explores the psychological complexities of guilt and complicity, and the repercussions of WW2 and the Holocaust through the life of the widowed 91 year old Greta Fernsby, sister of Bruno, whose father was the Nazi commandant of the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp. In a narrative, with short chapters, that shifts from the past and the present in which the bright, sharp and astute Greta lives in an expensive and exclusive block of apartments in London. She occasionally sees her son, guarding her privacy, ensuring she never gets really close to anyone, intent on keeping her secrets deeply buried.

Greta and her mother ran in 1946 from Poland, to Paris, France, changing identities, unaware you can never escape your past in a world desperately seeking retribution for the horrors and evil perpetrated during WW2. As Greta's haunted and harrowing nightmare past is slowly revealed through the various locations, including Australia, her memories of Bruno return when a new family moves into her apartment block. She can feel there is something wrong as she gets to know the 9 year old son, Henry. His film producer father is an abusive, manipulative bully, and Greta wants to protect Henry and his mother and do the right thing, but she risks her past being revealed.

The remarkable Greta, however, is no longer the 12 year old girl she used to be as she seeks redemption. I became completely immersed in this beautifully written, compassionate and thought provoking novel with its surprising conclusion. This is an outstanding read, not perfect, but related with sensitivity, the characterisation is marvellous, of love, loss, the sins of family, shame, culpability and trauma that is utterly gripping and which I highly recommend to both fans of Boyne and to other readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Canadian Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boyne’s style continues to be hypnotic and sharp. He delivers a Holocaust story with brutal precision and bold prose.

91 year old Greta is reflecting on her life. Her shame and guilt that has followed her as her father was a nazi commandment of one of the internment camps. How at 12 years of age, she and her mother escaped to Paris, with new identities, afraid they would be discovered for their own complicity in war crimes.

When a neighbour’s child enters her life, 91 year old Greta has an opportunity for absolution. Or the closest thing to it. She confronts her own dark past and finds the strength and courage to defend someone vulnerable, as she had failed to do for any of those Jews camped outside of her home.

Boyne does a deep dive into this deeply flawed character. How one can never escape the past; How events shape who we are; How we remain broken until we can reconcile the past with the present; how we can still change who we are from who we were. Even decades later.

Boyne, you took a chance delving into this genre, but successfully left an impression of Greta and a reminder of all the victims who suffered. My heart now breaks in many places.
5⭐️

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Broken Places is somewhat of a sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. Boyne began writing All the Broken Places in 2004 and then filed it away. He picked it up again and started writing more during the pandemic.

I listened to All the Broken Places on audiobook and it is masterfully narrated by Kristin Atherton and Helen Lloyd. Both are the voices of Gretel Fernsby, the main character. Atherton narrates the younger Gretel and Lloyd narrates the current 91 year old Gretel.

Gretel is the daughter of a senior officer in the Third Reich. Gretel and her mother flee Germany after the end of World War II and assume new identities. They spend time in Paris, Sydney, and London. Gretel settles into a flat in Mayfair (London) where she lives a quiet, secluded life for decades in a complex called Winterville Court. Gretel's non-eventful life changes when new neighbors move into the flat below her flat.

The book initially progresses like a slow moving train as readers learn more about Gretel's past and present life. Then there is a hairpin turn that made me gasp and sit up straight to lean into the story. The pace accelerates like an out-of-control locomotive. The epilogue picks up the pieces of the train wreck and it left me speechless.

Boyne specializes in writing about guilt, complicity, and grief with a focus on people who knew the monsters but looked away. In the Author's Note, Boyne indicates that Elie Wiesel's book, Night, significantly influenced his interest in writing about the Holocaust.

Highly recommend!

Reread this book a second time for Book Club.
Fascinating, complex character development with stories that intertwine across several generations.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his author’s note, John Boyne states that “All the Broken Places” “is a novel about guilt, complicity, and grief, a book that sets out to examine how culpable a young person might be, given the historical events unfolding around her, and whether such a person can ever cleanse themselves of the crimes committed by the people she loved.” He also stated that “I have less interest in the monsters than I do in the people who knew what the monsters were doing and deliberately looked away.”

“All The Broken Places” is a sequel of sorts to his 2006 novel, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, which was also made into a movie. One does not need to read the first one to appreciate this complex story.

In this story, Gretel Fernsby is approaching her 92nd birthday when a new family moves into the flat below her. When she befriends the boy and the mother, she is faced with a complexity. She suspects that the husband is abusing, physically and emotionally, both the child and the wife. What to do?

Boyne takes the reader on a ride of Gretel’s past. The first line of the novel: “If every man is guilty of all the good he did not do, as Voltaire suggested, then I have spent a lifetime convincing myself that I am innocent of all the bad.” So, we know Gretel has guilt; in the second chapter she explains that she and her mother escaped Germany in 1946; they changed their names. Her Father’s name was becoming a byword for criminality of the most heinous nature. Gretel narrates her story from the time she was a child to her absconding to Paris, running to Australia, and eventually settling in London.

Boyne uses Gretel to illuminate complicity in knowing something is wrong, terrible, and not doing anything about it, not taking any responsibility. In Gretel’s case, if she, at age 12, went to the authorities and reported what she had seen, could she have saved lives? Instead, she spent her life hiding and ashamed. At age 91, nearly 92, she must confront her culpability. Shall she turn a blind eye? Or, should she do something to help save the mother and boy, which could result in her being identified and humiliated?

Boyne writes a very complex character in Gretel. Like all humans, she has made huge mistakes, has many regrets. But she’s been kind, thoughtful, and good as well. She’s ashamed and has spent her whole life denying that she had any responsibility in her father’s life work, even when she knew it was wrong.

Boyne leaves the reader to contemplate Gretel and what you would do in her shoes. Furthermore, it leaves the reader questioning our own past: have we personally been guilty of turning a blind eye?

[Maggie Stiefvater]

Sometimes, books are sequels to books you haven't read, but it only dawns on you after two hundred pages.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

You cannot thrust your actions, impactful, indifferent or even significant, into the Universe without it coming back to revisit you in some shape or form......in due time.....because that's all we have. The winds keep tab of the debt.

John Boyne is an author of immense talent. All the Broken Places takes us to a place of unspeakable horror visited upon us by Mankind at its lowest ebb. The weight of it sits heavily on those who were victims, those who participated with both eyes wide open or eyes wide shut, and to those who stood by bearing the knowledge but wearing the cowardice with muted lips.

Gretel Fernsby will prove to be one of the most complicated characters in recent times. We'll meet her at the age of ninety-one living in the upscale section of Mayfair in London. She's been a widow for some time after the passing of her husband Edgar. But her son, Caden, wishes for his mother to sell her flat. After all, he's on his fourth marriage and could use the cash. Gretel refuses to even consider selling.

But memories start to stir within Gretel when a new family moves into the flat directly below her. The nine year old boy, Henry, reminds her of the loss of her brother when he was that very same age so long ago. And as the mind plays its game of dominoes, one memory parlays upon another and dead timber rises to the surface.

John Boyne will seat us right next to Gretel as she shuffles the scenery of her youth in Berlin during World War II. She's twelve years old and the family has moved to Auschwitz in Poland where her father is a commandant of one of the Reich's most notorious extermination camps. The family maintains their home right on the other side of the camp. Family life ignores the element of horror and tragedy only so many feet away.

At the end of the war, Gretel and her mother flee to a small town in France. Their only hope is to
change their last name and identity. But the French bear the scars of this war and they are an observant lot. In time, Gretel and her mother must flee once again. Australia......

All the Broken Places is a mosaic of the aftermath of war and the sins of the father that permeate through generations. Guilt poisoned your dreams and tainted your future. Guilt sung a continuous lullaby with the quivering voices of the dead. And all the while, you played with your dolls and wiped your chin sticky with the decadent juice of a fresh orange. Out of sight. Out of mind. But not so easily done......

The character of Gretel and her life unfolds with knotted strings and uneven terrain. You will dislike her immensely and then respect her for some of her decisions. Then you will be frustrated once again. Boyne sees to it. People were beyond complicated then and even more so in today's world. What we turn a blind eye on will eventually find its way into the fabric of Society. Guaranteed. Humans create those monsters under the bed that quickly take to the streets. And they wear the faces of the familiar.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Culpability
One of John Boyne’s most popular and intensely moving stories was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and he has taken the step after many years to write the sequel, All the Broken Places. It must have weighed on his mind if he could maintain the legacy of such an admired and deeply profound story. Holocaust stories, especially fiction, are responsible for paying respect to the emotionality of characters and delicately navigating a tale that never reduces the impact of the horrendous crimes committed.

Almost eighty years after the second world war, Gretel Fernsby (sister to Bruno) lives in an exclusive apartment in Mayfair, London. New neighbours are moving in, and Gretel, as always, worries about anyone discovering her past and the family connection to the horror capital of the world – Auschwitz. Her father was a commandant there, and at the end of the war, she and her mother fled Poland to France and the life of cover-up, disguise, and constant moving in Europe and Australia began.

The novel is told in the current time with her interactions between her friends and neighbours. New neighbours play a crucial role in how her present life unfolds. In a separate timeline, Gretel also reflects on the years following the war and the events and course of action her mother took to hide their past – sometimes unsuccessfully.

Gretel is a wonderfully complex character, and John Boyne does an incredible job of challenging us to like or dislike Gretel. She is a woman who can show incredible generosity yet show dislikeable traits. Gretel rises to action driven by concern yet can deliver harsh reactions. The remarkable aspect of Gretel’s story is deciding how culpable she was at fifteen to the inhumane compassionless environment of Auschwitz and the gnawing guilt that has been her constant companion for eighty years.

“If every man is guilty of all the good he did not do, as Voltaire suggested, then I have spent a lifetime convincing myself that I am innocent of all the bad.”

If she was innocent, why was she living under an assumed name? Why had she kept her past hidden from everyone, including her son?

I felt the last few books from John lacked a little of his brilliant storytelling capacity. I still enjoyed them as he is a master of prose and creating fascinating characters. This one is superb at all levels, as he’s back to telling a profound and captivating story. I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and if you enjoyed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, then the adult context of All the Broken Places is guaranteed to please you. I want to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review.

[Mark Porton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gretel Fernsby is in her nineties, and if you read this, she will stay with you. Gretel lives in present day London, but she possesses a dark secret – from her childhood in WWII Germany. Her father was the commandant of the most infamous of the Nazi concentration camps.

Alternating chapters describe Gretel’s current life in her well-to-do London apartment and various parts of her life from her time in Paris just after the war with her mother, followed by short time in Sydney to escape Europe and then back to London where she has been living for decades.

I must say, Boyne nailed the Aussie accents and the manner of speaking, it was spot on!

Her peaceful life is disrupted by a conflict-ridden young family in the apartment below. Gretel feels particularly close to the young boy, Henry. Gretal needs to decide if she gets involved as Henry’s parents, and the father in particular, do a deft job at destroying the safe environment he should be living in.

There are heavy themes of guilt running through this very real story. How much guilt should a young child feel if one of their parent’s is responsible for the most atrocious crimes against humanity?

Boyne’s writing is engaging, but not overdone. The characters and dialogue are so natural, you feel like you are there with them. There are some wee touches of humour too. In addition to the young family living below Gretel, you’ll meet Heidi – her next-door neighbour on the second floor. Heidi’s a dear old lady with emerging dementia – some of the funniest exchanges in this book are Gretel’s responses to some of Heidi’s questions. Both Gretel and Heidi have annoying adult sons who both seem a little too focussed on their imminent inheritance’s.

I was unaware this is the follow up to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but it didn’t matter, this is a good standalone novel.

The real question here is, what will Gretel do about her secret? This is truly suspenseful – and there are surprising revelations as the story concludes. I loved this.

5 Stars

[Dem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought it, I read it, I loved it.

All the Broken Places by John Boyne was a thought provoking and emotional page turner for me. His writing is immersive and compelling and I was drawn into the story from the very first page.
This is a fiction story and I am always aware when reading historical fiction stories that I may not get an extensive or satisfying portrayal of events in the past but that is fine as I have read a vast amount of non fiction books on the War and that is where I get my facts and information from.
I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of the and yet the characters stayed with me after all these years, and while I didn’t love it, I was very eager to read the sequel and see what became of these characters.

The story is told from the point of view of 92 year old Gretel who has lived her life hiding her dark and disturbing past. She doesn’t talk about her escape from Germany or her post war years in France. She keeps the fact that she is the daughter of one of the commandant leaders in a notorious Nazi Concentration Camp well hidden and lives a quiet life in her apartment until a young family moves into the apartment below her and Gretel forms a new friendship with Henry their young son.

This is a back to basics , well written, interesting and compelling story from John Boyne, it’s the sort of book you long to pick up each evening. A curl up by the fire side read that just doesn’t disappoint.
I needed this book in my life as I have read a lot of mediocre novels over the past few months.

I listened to this one on Audible and the narrators are excellent. I also bought a hard back copy for my real life bookshelf.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5★
“I told myself that none of it had been my fault, that I had been just a child, but there was that small part of my brain that asked me, if I was entirely innocent, then why was I living under an assumed name?”

German-born teenager Gretel is living in Paris with her mother, having escaped there after the defeat of the Nazis in WWII. Her father was a high-ranking Nazi officer who has already been hanged for his war crimes. Her mother has made up a backstory for them, saying they are from Nantes, France, and were lucky to have had little to do with the war.

“Mother and I escaped Germany in early 1946, only a few months after the war ended, travelling by train from what was left of Berlin to what was left of Paris. Fifteen years old and knowing little of life, I was still coming to terms with the fact that the Axis had been defeated. Father had spoken with such confidence of the genetic superiority of our race and of the Führer’s incomparable skills as a military strategist that victory had always seemed assured. And yet, somehow, we had lost.”

It’s no secret that Gretel is the older sister of the boy from Boyne’s highly acclaimed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, one of my favourite books. If you haven’t read it, you must!

Boyne introduces us to Gretel at ninety-one, living in a very comfortable flat in Mayfair, London, which her son, Caden, is anxious to sell (to tap into his inheritance) and move his mother into a nice retirement village. Gretel loves her home.

“My Mayfair residence is listed as a flat but that is a little like describing Windsor Castle as the Queen’s weekend bolthole.”

Caden is getting married for the fourth time, and Gretel knows he needs the money.

“Caden has settled down so often that he must be among the most relaxed men in England,”

She teases him.

“He sighed. ‘I worry about you on the stairs,’ he said half-heartedly.

‘And I worry about you pushing me down them,’ I told him, which made him smile.”

She loves her son, but she has all the advantages of a wonderful location plus only a few neighbours.

“Mr Richardson and I had enjoyed the perfect neighbourly relationship in that we had not exchanged a single word since 2008.”

Perfect. Not nosy, no uncomfortable questions. A younger (younger than Gretel) neighbour lives across the hall, and they are friendly, although Heidi is a bit gossipy, and her memory is getting shaky. Unfortunately, Mr Richardson has died and Gretel is hoping the new people will be as unintrusive as he was.

No such luck. The new neighbours are a beautiful mother, a domineering father, and a sensitive nine-year-old boy, Henry, eerily reminiscent of Gretel’s own family. In spite of herself, and her desperate attempts to avoid any reminders of her past, especially of her little brother, she becomes drawn to, and protective of, Henry.

Reminders can also be a word, a turn of phrase, or in this case, a look.

“His expression was one that I had seen before, when I was a child and living in that other place. The soldiers had worn it, almost to a man. A desire to hurt. An awareness that there was nothing anyone could do to stop them. It was mesmerizing. I could not look away and nor, it seemed, could he.”

This is an engrossing read that I didn’t want to put down. Gretel is not a loveable old lady, by any means, but it’s obvious why she’s so prickly. She becomes slowly but increasingly more uncomfortable as she gets older and realises how much privilege her father’s position gave their family and what she might owe for having enjoyed that privilege.

Her mother was a popular beauty until she became an alcoholic, and Gretel later enjoyed her own privilege of the power people confer on a pretty young woman. She could ask questions and flirt her way through any answers she didn’t want to give.

I believe everyone has their own line in the sand, the point beyond which they either won’t go or would be uncomfortable going. As we become more experienced and learn more, we may shift that line from ‘won’t’ to ‘uncomfortable’, depending on pressure and circumstances.

We see Gretel hesitate at the line she drew in her youth, her determination to leave the past in the past, and her continued justification for making that decision. For how much is she responsible and for what should she feel guilty?

If some Twitter critic tries to have a go at Boyne for cultural appropriation because he put us into the mind of a ninety-two year old woman, I’d like to see them try. I don’t know how he does it, but he has captured the somewhat conflicting desires for privacy and relevance which I think are typical of old ladies, and I should know.

Her whole life is believable - plus, he’s written a perfect ending.

===========
Good review in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the Holocaust stories that I have read about the death camps were centered around what happened behind the barbed wire fence, on the Jews who suffered such horrific treatment and were brought to their death. While all of that is something that I could not get out of my mind while reading this, the focus in this one is on characters on the other side of the fence. 91 year old Gretel, daughter of the commandant of death camp, tells her story and looks back in alternating chapters to when she was twelve and the years that follow.

This is a sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a novel I read quite some time ago, a story I will never forget for the gut wrenching affect it had on me. Gretel’s story, the aftermath of that novel, is equally gut wrenching and haunting . Too much happens in those years in between for me to even attempt a brief synopsis and it’s a story the reader needs to discover for themselves anyway. It’s a painfully beautiful story about grief, loss and carrying the burden of guilt that may not be one’s own. This is a complex story and Gretel is a complex and flawed character who moved me in so many ways.

What to say about John Boyne that would do him justice as a storyteller? He never ceases to amaze me with each book I read by him. He writes with such intensity that reaches into one’s gut and heart. Here I was surprised by a beautiful connection between characters that I didn’t suspect, an ending that I didn’t see coming, but I’m never surprised by his extraordinary sense of who we are as human beings, how our past shapes who we are. If you’ve read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, this is a must read. If you haven’t, read this one anyway because anything by John Boyne is worth reading.

[Brady Lockerby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot! Sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas which I had no idea until I started reading. Follows Gretel, Bruno’s surviving sister

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook….read by Kristin Atherton Helen Lloyd
…..12 hours and 42 minutes

John Boyne has been fascinated about the effects of war on children from way back — which is why he wrote
“The Boy In The Striped Pajamas”…..which was first published in 2006: a best selling popular international book of ‘fiction’. …a children’s fable about a boy whose father is a Commandant in the German army during WWII, under the regime of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler. ….
I personally didn’t think the book was historically accurate-and it was my least favorite book by John Boyne…..
where ‘otherwise’ … I’m a huge fan of several of his ‘adult’ books having especially loved:
…The Absolutist
…The Heart’s Invisible Furies
and
…A Ladder To The Sky

I had mixed feelings (resistance to be honest) about reading “All The Broken Places”…. another ‘fiction’ story associated with The Holocaust….
I liked it better than it’s preceder—but I still felt it was not historically accurate…..
However …
as a ‘story’ ….. contemplating the experience of overwhelming guilt, complicity, grief, moral responsibility….and a private atonement….which a child carries into adulthood… ‘being-at-cause’ for the evils done by others is a thought-provoking controversy.

The writing is excellent…
My personal position about the controversy… is private.

John Boyne does a great job in not connecting the dots. He lets readers contemplate their own conclusions: I respect him for it…..

Boyne is a terrific emotional storyteller…
I love him for that too ….which this book is: emotional storytelling.
That said ….
I like this Irish author …
and….(just my own preferences)….but his WWII and post-affects of WWII novels are not my ‘very’ favorites…..(even though I respect his passion and interest),
but I did enjoy the characters, appreciated the story, and I’m a fan of John Boyne’s overall work.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Boyne is one of my favourite authors but strangely enough the I was one of the very few people who wasn’t completely blown away by his novel ‘The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas’. I did enjoy it but not as much as the wonderful ‘The Hearts invisible Furies’ or ‘Ladder to the Sky’ which were both masterpieces. ‘All the Broken Places’ is a sequel to ‘The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas’ and I was completely absorbed from the very start.

Gretel Fernsby is ninety one and has lived in the same mansion block in London for decades. She does not seek attention and lives a quiet yet comfortable life despite her dark and disturbing past. Seventy years ago she escaped from Germany but keeps that stage in her life a secret from everyone. Her father was the commandant of one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps and now she guards that secret with all her life.

A young family moves into the apartment below her and against her usual judgement ends up building a friendship with Henry, a young boy who reminds her of memories she would rather forget.

When Gretel witnesses a violent argument between Henry’s mother and his domineering father, she is faced with a chance to make amends for her guilt, grief and remorse and act to save a young boy. But by doing this she would be forced to reveal her true identity to the world and could cost her dearly.

John Boyne is a master storyteller and he never ceases to amaze me with his novels. Great characters and beautifully written. An emotional story told with perfection.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Beata · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed .. Not much in the novel that I enjoyed .. The writing style, yes, but I'd expected a lot more .. Nothing that kept me invested, which is a shame as I do enjoy Mr Boyne's books.
OverDrive, thank you!

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gretel is a 91 year old widow living in comfort in a small London apartment building. The only complications in her life are her son, who marries too frequently, and her neighbor and friend who is developing dementia. Then a film producer, his attractive wife and young son Henry move in. When it become apparent that the wife and son have good reason to fear the producer, Gretel has to decide how much she is willing to risk to help them. Gretel is not her real name and no one, including her son, knows the true story of her past. Since she and her mother fled Nazi Germany she has lived with her fear that people will learn that her father was the commandant of a concentration camp. She has also lived with the guilt of her complicity in the Nazi horrors.

This book is a companion to the “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”. The books share characters and events, but this can be read as a standalone. In this book, we encounter Gretel in four places, in each of which a dramatic, gut wrenching event occurs - Germany/Poland during the war, France where Gretel and her mother tried to make new lives, Australia where Gretel’s attempt to run from her history failed again and London where she found love.

I liked everything about this book. It never dragged and completely held my interest. Gretel’s coming to terms with what she knew during the war and her brother’s death felt very real, as did her compassion for poor abused Henry. The ending was very satisfying.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Boyne has always been a masterful storyteller in my opinion but I felt that he outdid himself with All the Broken Places. As soon as John Boyne finished writing The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, he knew that he would write Gretel’s story someday. The pandemic was the perfect backdrop for her story to take root. I had never planned on reading All The Broken Places since The Boy in the Striped Pajamas had made me so emotionally drained, sad and angry. I felt that it was a very difficult book to read for those reasons. It left a lasting impression on my heart. When my book club chose All the Broken Places by John Boyne for this month’s selection, I decided to read it. I must admit that I am glad that I did. All the Broken Places was extremely well written and so moving. Every one of my emotions was awoken and touched. John Boyne presented Gretel, flawed and suffering from guilt that stemmed back to when she was twelve years old. Now ninety-one years old, she still carried those feelings, emotions, fears and questions deep down inside her. You be the judge. All the Broken Places was thought provoking and intensely emotional. It was so well written and I hated to stop listening to it. I highly recommend All the Broken Places by John Boyne.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, Random House publisher,And the wonderful author John Boyne.

This book continues from the book The boy in the striped pyjamas, which I enjoyed reading.when I started reading this book I was confused going back and forth but it soon comes together. This is the story of Gretel who escaped from Poland with her mother they must never tell anyone who they are, they escape to Paris and things turn for the worse.now to the present shes in her nineties living in a posh apartment with a new neighbour an actor and his wife and child named Henry she becomes friends with the boy who loves to read.this book is about secrets the burden on hiding her identity this was a very emotional story this book is a long read, but worth reading.this book bought a tear to my eye at the ending of this read...highly recommend...

This will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon uk.

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had quite a degree of difficulty trying to rate and review this book. I notice that many people are rating it five stars but I cannot do that because it would put it on the same standing as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and to me at least it is certainly not that good.

In All the Broken Places we meet Gretel again. The book is told in two timelines, one after Gretel and her mother have escaped after the war and gone undercover so as avoid possible arrest for war crimes, and the other of Gretel in her nineties living in comfort in London but still hiding under another name and still full of guilt.

I found this book interesting but it did not get under my skin as the first book did. It probably did not help that I am becoming increasingly tired of the alternate chapter/timeline set up. I long for an historical fiction book which begins at the beginning and progresses through to the end in one continuous line!

So on careful consideration I am giving this book 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Certainly worth reading but not as perfect as many of this author's other books.

[Tooter · Rating 5 out of 5]

5++ Stars

[od1_40reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nazi atonement anyone? Na, you’re alright, cheers.

I mean, John Boyne… why?!

Like a lot of people, I read ‘The Boy in Stripped Pyjamas’, getting on for 20 yrs ago now, and was heartbroken at the time. However, having read more about the responses to it over the years, not least from The Holocaust Learning Centre, much of the criticism is deserved, in my opinion.

I still think ‘Boy/Pyjamas’ is a good story, as long as one reads it as exactly that, a story of fiction.

This follow up however… it feels like an attempt to justify all the criticism ‘Boy/Pyjamas’ received. An ill-conceived judgment by the author, and probably publisher alike. Should’ve just left well alone, frankly.

It’s not all entirely bad, it is a very readable book after all. So two stars for that.

But also, what is it with John Boyne lately?!

After ‘My Bother’s Name is Jessica’ (the transphobia of this title is clearly light years ahead of our John), I saw an interview with him moaning about the ‘wokey’ generation, and then also announcing on twitter that he refused to be ‘labelled’ a cis-gender man. (Sorry love, that’s exactly what you are. And me too in fact!)

I think I might be done with JB now. Many people obviously still love him, and that’s great. But my reading tastes have moved on I think.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars r0unded up to 5. John Boyne is a master storyteller always focusing on authentic human experiences and although The Heart's Invisible Furies will probably always be my best-loved book by him, All the Broken Places earns a very close second place. This is the adult sequel to his YA novel of the holocaust The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby is a strong, complex, and memorable character. Her story moves back and forth in time between Europe 1946 and London almost 80 years later. What made this different than most other HF novels is that the book doesn’t really focus on the war itself but is more an exploration of the emotional aftermath of war. The main question being - If you do nothing to prevent evil, are you just as bad as the evildoers? And at what point do you become culpable?

[Nilguen · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** Deutsch ***
Dies war ein fantastisches Hörerlebnis! Ich wollte nicht, dass es endet! Eine ergreifende Geschichte, spannend erzählt von Elisabeth Günter, die mich von Anfang bis zum Ende unterhielt. Gretel, dessen Reise in den 30‘er Jahren in Berlin beginnt, durchquert verschiedene Phasen und Länder in ihrem Leben in neun Jahrzehnten. Im NS Regime vom Schicksal ihres Vaters gebrandmarkt sowie von Schuldgefühlen geplagt, stellt sie manchmal eine naive, manchmal eine rachsüchtige und manchmal eine mutige Frau dar. Trotz all ihrer Unzulänglichkeiten als Schwester oder Mutter, ist sie dennoch eine liebenswürdige Protagonistin…auch als sie eine weitere Todsünde begeht. Aber wer kann schon den ersten Stein werfen… Das Buch „Der Junge im Pyjama“ gilt als der Vorgänger zu diesem Buch, aber es lässt sich auch zweifellos stand-alone lesen. Ich würde mich nicht wundern, wenn auch dieses Buch verfilmt wird. Die Kehrtwendung in der Geschichte war keineswegs vorauszusehen. Sehr spannende historische Fiktion, die ich glasklar empfehle!

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***Englisch***

This was an amazing listening experience that I didn't want it to end! Gretel, whose journey begins in Berlin in the 1930s, crosses different phases and countries in her life over nine decades. Branded by the fate of her father in the Nazi regime and plagued by guilt, she is sometimes a naïve, sometimes a vengeful and sometimes a courageous woman. Despite all her shortcomings as a sister or mother, she is still a lovely protagonist...even as she commits another mortal sin. But who can throw the first stone... The book "The Boy in Pajamas" is considered the predecessor to this book, but it can also undoubtedly be read stand-alone. I wouldn't be surprised, if this book was made into a film. The twist in the story was by no means predictable. Very exciting historical fiction, which I highly recommend!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

John Boyne's latest book deals with the complexities of guilt, denial and culpability for the atrocities of WWII. Boyne is not so much interested in the "monsters" who committed the atrocities but in those who saw pieces of what was happening and looked away. "I didn't know" was a common refrain heard from German citizens after the war and the discovery of the death camps and the gas chambers. Did they really not know? What would have been the price for admitting knowledge of some of the events? In All the Broken Places, a sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Boyne tackles these questions by exploring the denial and guilt of the privileged and sheltered daughter of a notorious concentration camp commandant. She often uses the phrase "I didn't know." In using a 12 year old child as his protagonist Boyne further complicates the issues of guilt and denial. Does a 12 year old child have the same responsibility as an adult for what they witness? What about when this child becomes an adult?

We first met Gretel when she was 12 years old in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, living "on the other side of the fence" at "Out-with" (Auschwitz). In All the Broken Places Boyne imagines the life she might have led after the war and how she would have dealt with her sense of guilt about what she witnessed of her beloved father’s role as the commandant of one of the Third Reich's most notorious death camps. More specifically, we learn about the contradictions in Gretel's mind about what she saw and what she did and didn't do. "I didn't know" . We follow her from girlhood to the age of 92, as she moves from Poland to post-war France, then 1950s Australia and finally Britain.

Boyne was successful in getting me to think about the complexity of Gretel's knowledge and guilt, how she dealt with these and the various ways in which they affected her life. The story was so compelling at times that I listened to all 8 hours of the audiobook in one day. However (and this is a big however) Boyne has Gretel behave in ways that are so preposterous and contrived that I often found myself grimacing with distaste and disbelief. Painful groans of "Oh, come on!" flew from my mouth more than once. Also, Boyne infuses Gretel's character with a great deal of nuance so she feels like a real person (despite her younger and older selves having different personalities). But the other characters in this novel are for the most part one dimensional.

In sum, my feelings about this book are very mixed. I've been very impressed by every novel I've read by John Boyne but this latest effort is surprisingly flawed. The worst flaw is that most of the plot points are absurd. At the same time this novel is thought provoking, psychologically complex and powerful and it makes the reader think about important issues that are still relevant today. It's impossible to read this book and not ask oneself what we might do if we witnessed atrocities. Would we turn away or would we put ourselves in danger by helping the victim(s)?

[Lori Keeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I haven’t read John Boyne’s “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” since 2018 and remember how much I was affected by that little boy’s story. In “All the Broken Pieces,” I was gutted and torn to pieces yet again, but it was different because of the perspective being from Gretel, the once 12-year-old whose father was the Commandant of Auschwitz in which the story took place. The fence was the separator at the concentration camp and now that Gretel is 90, we find out all of the ways she has accomplished keeping her past separated from her present.

The last page is the gut wrencher here. I didn’t connect the dots and won’t spoil anything for those who still want to read this one. I do believe that reading the first book will make a bigger impact with Gretel’s adult story. Gretel’s life wasn’t easy post war and the choices she made and the lies she told are only to keep herself alive. But the bigger questions to ask have to do with how complicit is a person who is born into a lifestyle that they don’t ask for? Are they just as guilty as the person in the family who committed the crimes?

Boyne is definitely giving us a character that we don’t want to empathize with and can’t sympathize with either. You won’t like her very much and you’ll question her quite a bit. Through Gretel he provides an avenue for discussion about culpability, guilt, grief, shame, and hiding the truth.

Here is a quote from Boyne explaining what the book is about found at the end of my book:
I would say that it is a novel about guilt, complicity, and grief, a book that sets out to examine how culpable a young person might be, given the historical events unfolding around her, and whether such a person can ever cleanse themselves of the crimes committed by the people she loved…Although she is the central character in my story, I am not trying to create a sympathetic character in Gretel. In common with most of mankind, Gretel is replete with flaws and contradictions. She is capable of moments of great kindness and acts of appalling cruelty, and I hope the reader will think about her long after finishing the book, perhaps question what they might have done in her place.

And we see an opportunity for Gretel when a new young family who moves into her building and she soon suspects abuse. We get to see the courage and fortitude she has when it comes to the need to protect another vulnerable person. Such a powerful story and one I won’t soon forget. Thank you Mr. Boyne.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: this review may be unpopular. If you want to comment, please do so respectfully. I am more than willing to openly discuss differing thoughts here.

Many readers are up in arms over John Boyne's All the Broken Places. There is a feeling that Boyne does not showcase the horror of the death camps and the true reactions of the prisoners, etc. IMO, while classified as historical fiction, this novel is not about the history of the Holocaust.

To me, the following passage illustrates his purpose:

“I suppose you wish you’d won the war.” I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Mr. Darcy-Witt,” I said, as if I were explaining something obvious to a child. “No one wins a war.”

Once the killing has stopped, how do we move forward? We in the U.S. are still wrestling with our treatment of the Native American populations and the enslaved. Chile is still coming to terms with the disappeared and tortured under Pinochet. Turkey is [maybe] reckoning with the Armenian genocide. South Africa is still trying to find it's way from apartheid.

Should we forget what happened? NEVER!

AND we have to come to terms with what happened, and find a way to live together. We can't wipe out a whole German, Caucasian, military, Turkish, white South African, [substitute your own choice] population because of the atrocities they have participated or been complicit in.

So what is Boyne telling me and asking in this novel?

People are complex and complicated. No one is all good and all bad. We all have shades of all qualities within us.

How influenced are we and should we continue to be by our parents?

How does an individual and a society process and handle culpability and complicity? How do we handle guilt and shame?

To what extent, if any, can we lay the sins of the father on his children?

How do we atone for our sins as individuals and as societies?

How can we heal from collective trauma?

Now to the story. Boyne asks these questions through a complex, thoughtful character study of Gretel, who at the age of 92 finally comes to grips with her past. His structure works well for me, having the threads of the past and present illuminate each other. The storytelling is a bit melodramatic and clunky in places. Otherwise, he holds me captivated and waiting to find out what happens next.

Publication 2022

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author said: “…it is a novel about guilt, complicity, and grief, a book that sets out to examine how culpable a young person might be, and whether such a person can never cleanse themselves of the crimes committed by the people she loved.”

I cannot praise this author enough.
He is a terrific writer and a fantastic storyteller, hence my 5 stars.
The concept and development of this book is ingenious.
The storyline has an effortless flow. It’s gripping, engaging, very emotional and offers some interesting twists.
It’s a terrific work of fiction.
The characters are unlikeable but very well developed, especially the main character, Gretel.
I do have to say that I found the conclusion overly dramatic, but I can’t deny that this author is very talented.

PS: although this is a follow up to “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, you can read it as a stand alone, but be warned that there is a spoiler.