This is a wonderful follow up to the boy in the striped pyjamas and lived up to the original story. It follows the life of Gretel, Brunos sister as she navigates her life after the war, it deals with her struggle to live with the legacy of who her father was and her grief for the loss of her family particularly her brother Bruno. Her conflict in trying to keep her identity secret versus atoning for her father's crimes. If you enjoyed The Boy in The Stripped Pyjamas this is a must read follow up.

A follow up, or follow on, from the end of the heartbreaking The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas.
This is now Gretel’s story and tells of how she came to be a wealthy woman living in a London flat alone at the age of 91. In flashback scenes the story unfolds Gretel’s life since leaving the war behind, first with her mother and then alone. All those years of guilt and secret from Nazi Germany.
But what other secrets is Gretel’s keeping? And how does the 9 year old boy who has just moved into the empty flat below hers fit in?
A moving read. I had sympathy and fury for Gretel at different times in the story. It’s certainly not a sequel to Boyne’s first Holocaust book but if you read this one second there will parts of the story to remind and reminisce.

I have tended in recent years to avoid fiction set during the Holocaust. I’ve often lately been unhappy with it being used as a convenient plot device and have steered clear. I made an exception for this book, trusting John Boyne’s empathy and sensitivity from my reading of his other work, including of course The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas to which this is a sequel.

He doesn’t disappoint. Reading this is a profoundly moving experience, filling in the back story from his earlier book (including its ending, so beware) and tracing the following decades in the lives of the survivors. The main character is Gretel, child of the Camp Commandant, whose life has been blighted by grief and remorse, and who hopes to redeem herself when the opportunity presents itself to her. I believed in all the characters, damaged in one way or another and yearning to escape the past, though one link between them revealed near the end was a bit of a stretch.

There is little to add to John Boyne’s afterword:

‘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.’

Says it all.

All The Broken Places is John Boynes’ sequel to The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. In 1946 Gretel, teenager sister of Bruno, was forced to flee Germany and the impending reprisals as the daughter of the Commandant of a Death Camp. She is now a ninety-one-year-old comfortably off widow, living in an upmarket area of London. Chapters alternate between her life then and now.
These days Gretel, having lived her life under a burden of guilt and shame, still feels the need to keep her background to herself.
All The Broken Places is about guilt, complicity, grief and arguably courage. On two separate occasions Gretel draws back from exposing a war criminal and thereby incriminating herself, instead leaving the weight of the decision to a third party.
While John Boyne is an unequalled storyteller and examines the subject of complicity at length, I imagine that many might come away feeling that this subject needs to be written about with more gravitas. Older Gretel also feels such a different character to younger Gretel that I had trouble reconciling them. I found myself thinking of interesting older female characters written by Joanna Cannon, about Lissa Evans’ Mattie and Richard Osman’s retirees and suddenly there was Gretel in the garden reading The Thursday Murder Club.
There was an interesting, if a little awkwardly thrust- in twist towards the end, but the sequence of events leading up to the conclusion becomes almost farcical, perhaps deliberately, but it felt a bit rushed.

A Page turning adult sequel to the fictional story of "The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas".

All the Broken places is largely told from the perspective of Gretel during the course of her life following on from the events of "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas". Gretel and her mother flee Poland after the liberation under new pseudonames to France following the aftermath of "that other place". They are forced to change their identity in a world that seeks justice and retribution for the crimes they were part of. Gretel soon discovers that her history will continue to haunt her despite her best endeavours to leave the past behind.

Fast forward to present day London. Gretel is a 91 year old widow living a somewhat secluded yet content life in an affluent apartment. Her wayward son Caden is keen to introduce the idea of selling up so he can finance his fourth marriage to Eleanor. When a new family move into the apartment block everything changes for Gretel. She senses something is not quite right and soon forms a friendship with a young boy called Henry that brings back many regressed memories of her beloved brother and her sordid past. Has her experience with grief taught her to submit to the powers that be or will she do what it takes to protect those she loves. Is she willing to reveal who she really is to save him from his abusive father? Is this a second chance? Boyne 's ability to depict so many likeable and despicable character traits lead us to a Gretel rich in diversity and complexity. Each short chapter quickens pace as the finale reveals itself in an unexpected plot twist.

It is always an ambitious task to follow up with a sequel that matches its predecessor but Boyne excels in this stylish page turning heartbreaking tale of guilt and the aftermath of a catastrophic event. A gripping and thoughtful story of grief, family trauma and the people we love.

This incredible story will easily leave you wanting more . Highly recommend this multi layered story lest we ever forget.

Thank you in advance to Netgalley for an ARC. This book is due to be released September 2022.

This is a terrific sequel to Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.Telling the story of Gretel, Bruno's sister. She is 91 years old and has been living with guilt since the war.. It is moving, thought-provoking and will stay with you long after you finish it. I loved it and would certainly encourage people to reread The boy in Striped pyjamas then follow on with this beautifully written book.

An amazing moving novel that takes up a loved story and turns it into something rich and interesting. I fully recommend this book that you will devour

‘All The Broken Places’ by John Boyle is essentially an adult sequel to his 2004 children’s novel ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. Telling the story of Bruno’s sister Gretel, it is a novel about a life lived with guilt and the consequences for her and the people around her. John Boyle is one of my favourite authors and this latest novel doesn’t disappoint.

John Boyne I applaud you! I am already a huge fan and have loved many of your books! This book had me glued from page one! I particularly enjoyed the fact that it went from the past to present easily, with no confusion. A story that at one point had me crying out in pain, I felt their pain immensely.. The story was so well written and just made me want more and more! Its 10 stars from me.

I love John Boyne's work and was so happy to be offered the chance to read and review this in advance of publication. I was not disappointed. I had not read the blurb so it only dawned on me gradually that it was the sequel to The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. I am not going to reveal any of the story because it was such a pleasure for me to read it unawares that I want to give others the opportunity to do so as well. Suffice it to say that I had to force myself to put it down because it was so compelling that I wanted to keep reading, but I also wanted to savour it. It gets many many more stars than five from me.