The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is a story of lost innocence in the face of terrible evil. It's a tale of innocence corrupted as Pieter's personal devotion to Hitler changes him from a kind 7-year-old with a Jewish best friend into a self-important bully who betrays his friends and is proud and boastful of his membership in the Hitler Youth. Back in 2006, same author John Boyne had introduced us to Bruno, the 9-year-old whose father is Commandant at Auschwitz where the boy becomes friends with the Jewish hostage Shmuel after whom The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is titled. Reflecting that title, the authors new novel seems to be like a sequel but it's more an assistant piece telling an entirely new story through the eyes of Pierrot, a French/German …show more content…
While giving evidence to the readers as quotes, the author has given meaning to the novel by adding many poetic quotes and touches to help shape the reader's point of view. For example, quotes such as “Just don't ever tell yourself that you didn't know.... That would be the worst crime of all”. “Don't you ever think,' he asked cautiously, 'that it would be better to be a bully than to be bullied? At least that way no one could ever hurt you.” The author, John Boyne has effectively used morals and values throughout the novel to help portray …show more content…
Pieter infrequently questions his beliefs but ends up embraces it, because it offers him power and safety, two things he lacked as a boy in an unkind world. Throughout, the author questions Pierrot about his actions. The technique of questioning the reader helps to create uncertainty and faulty opinions, shown “Pierrot thought about this and considered recounting the conversation…. but decided against it.” The texts comparisons to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas are inevitable but also deserved.

While both books are emotionally powerful and moving works eminently suitable for both young adult and adult readers. John Boyne has cleverly conveyed the themes of family and race. The Boy at the Top of the Mountain, just like Boyne’s previous novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, adds a fresh and important viewpoint on WWII and the Holocaust. This book also has a very clever cameo appearance in it which will shock and surprise you. The story’s ending is emotional and unexpected. And that is the genius work done by Josh Boyne by using such narrative conventions such as setting, conflict, characterisation and point of view allows us to interpret the themes of family and race