brief introduction
In 1943, World War II entered a white-hot stage, and Europe was caught in a stormy sea of war. In the summer of this year, Bruno, a 9-year-old boy from a German military family, moved from Berlin to the Nazi camp in Poland because of his father’s work. A large number of Jews and other races were also the places where all kinds of tragic human experiments were committed, but Bruno, who is innocent and lovely, didn’t understand these things. He often looked at his father’s work from his bedroom window and saw a group of people in striped clothes walking there. Walking and the place was surrounded by high-rise fence wire. All this reminded Bruno of his partner’s game in his hometown, but it didn’t seem as simple as the game. All this aroused Bruno’s endless curiosity. Bruno secretly met himl, a Jewish boy of the same age on the other side of the wire, and often brought him food to eat. In the tense family atmosphere, himl was Bruno’s only friend. One day Bruno decided to go to the other side of the wire and met himl’s father, but unfortunately they were driven into the crowd leading to the gas chamber. Two boys never came again.
chapter one
When Bruno put it home one afternoon, he was surprised to find that Maria, the maid who always lowered her head and never dared to take her eyes off the carpet, actually took things from the closet in his room and put them in four large rattan boxes. Even the unknown things he hid behind the closet were turned over and put them in the rattan boxes.
What are you doing? Bruno asked as politely as possible. Although he was very unhappy to see people touch his things without his permission, his mother always told him that he should respect Maria and not talk to her like that. Take your hand away from my things.
Maria shook her head and pointed to the stairs behind Bruno. Mother suddenly appeared there now. She was tall, with long red hair tied behind her head. Her mother twisted her hands nervously. It seemed that something was hard for her to say or something made her feel unbelievable.
Mom Bruno walked up to her and asked what happened. Maria, what moved my things?
She was packing, explained her mother
Asked Bruno, packing his bag, while his brain was running fast. Think about it. He hasn’t been particularly naughty or said that he shouldn’t talk these days, and now he will be sent away. But in fact, he has behaved well in front of people these days, and he can’t remember what he has done. Did he continue to ask me what I did wrong?
By this time, mother had entered her room, and the housekeeper Les was in her room. Mother sighed, spread her hands and walked back to the stairs. Bruno followed, and he wouldn’t let it go until he knew it clearly.
Mom, he’s still building. What’s going on? Are we moving?
Come with me to the building, and my mother said, take Bruno to the building restaurant, where Zhou Yanshou used to eat, and we will talk there.
Bruno passed his mother when he ran upstairs to the stairs, so that he could wait in the restaurant before her arrival. He looked at her for a while and didn’t speak. He thought her mother must have put on her makeup this morning because her eyes looked redder than usual, just like he was crying after a disaster.
Don’t worry, Bruno’s mother said that her chair was Zhou Yanshou’s dinner. The beautiful blonde was sitting there when her father was at the restaurant door. The blonde was still sitting there and waved to Bruno. Seriously, what happened was that we were going on an adventure.
What kind of adventure Bruno asked if he would send me away?
No, it’s not just your mother who answered. She thought for a while and tried to smile. We all have to go. Your father, me, Gretel, you and all four of us have to go.
Bruno thought for a moment and frowned. Gretel was sent away, so he wouldn’t mind because she was a hopeless child, but Bruno felt it was unfair to let everyone go with her.
Where to? He asked us where to go. What can’t stay here?
Because your father needs your mother to explain how important it is for you, right?
It’s me, of course. Bruno nodded and said that because there are always many guests at home, men wear dazzling military uniforms and women wear typewriters. Bruno can’t touch them with his dirty hands. They are all polite to his father. They all say that his father has a bright future and it is important for him to be appointed by the first meeting.
Sometimes someone is highly valued, and his mother continues to say that his level will send him to other places to perform special duties.
What kind of Bruno asked? To be honest, he has always asked himself to be honest. He doesn’t know exactly what his father does.
One day at school, Bruno and his friends talked about their fathers together. Carl said that his father was a greengrocer, and Bruno had no doubt about it. Daniel said that his father was a teacher, and Bruno knew very well that his father taught some big boys, but Martin said that his father was a chef, and Bruno believed in it, because Martin’s father would pick him up from school in a chef’s robe and apron, just like he had just come from the kitchen.
But when they asked what Bruno’s father did, Bruno opened his mouth to tell them, but suddenly he realized that he didn’t know that he could say that his father had a bright future, and it was always important to send him a haircut. Of course, his father always wore a dazzling military uniform.
This is a very important job. Mother hesitated one after another and said that you need special people to finish the job. You can’t do it for nothing, can you?
We’re all going, aren’t we? Bruno asked
Of course, you don’t want your father to go to the new workshop alone.
I don’t want Bruno to say
If we don’t go with our father, he will miss our mother very much. Go on.
Who will he miss most? Bruno asked. Me or Gretel?
He will miss your mother in the same way, saying that she firmly believes in treating children with a bowl of water, and Bruno appreciates it very much, especially because he knows that he is the mother’s favorite child.
But what about our room? Bruno asked who would look after it after we left.
Mother sighed and looked around the room as if she would never see it again. It was a very beautiful room. There were five floors in the attic. The chef prepared food in the basement. Maria Les sat at the table and quarreled with each other. Bruno stood on tiptoe and grasped the window frame so that he could see Berlin from there.
We have to lock the room, and mother said that we will come back one day.
What about the chef? Bruno asked to return Les and Maria. Don’t they live here?
They will come with us. Mother explained that you have asked enough questions. I think you can go upstairs and help Maria pack your things.
Bruno got up from his chair but didn’t move. He still had a few questions to ask him, trying to get to the bottom of it.
How far is that place? He asked me if my father’s new construction site was a mile away.
Oh, my child’s mother smiled strangely because she didn’t look happy. She turned her back on Bruno and didn’t seem to want Bruno to see that her face was Bruno. She said it was much farther than a mile.
Bruno opened his eyes wide and his mouth became an O. He felt his arms spread out from his sides, which he would do whenever he was surprised. You don’t mean we are leaving Berlin, do you? He asked. When he said these words, he felt that he could hardly breathe.