Written as the third part to a wartime novella series that includes the very successful The Boy in the Striped Pjamas, this book tells the story of a Pierrot, who lives in 1930s Paris with his French mother and German father. Tragedy soon befalls both parents, leading young Pierrot to a brief stay in an orphanage, before being rescued by his mysterious Aunt Beatrix (whom he has never met) and then taken to live in a large alpine lodge located near Salzburg in Austria.
Named 'Berghof', Pierrot's new home is not just any alpine retreat. It is the only lodge on the mountain, has a large staff to run and maintain it, and its owner is the current German chancellor and leader of the National Socialist Party, Adolf Hitler.
Confused at first, Pierrot quickly adapts to his new environment, embracing his father's German heritage, and rejecting that of his French mother. He switches from 'Pierrot' to 'Pieter' (at the request of his Aunt) and dissociates himself from his Jewish childhood friend back in Paris. But the question then becomes, how far will 'Pieter' go to fit in to life at Berghof and please his new father figure.
As a writer, one of John Boyne's main strengths is as an excellent judge of tone and narration - which he needs to be given the set up here. Any story that makes Hitler out to be a sympathetic character (and this one does not) is more than likely going to fail. However, go too far the other way and make him out to be some kind of insane raving lunatic, and the story also collapses. What small boy is going to be impressed by some kind of hysterical monster?
