What do readers think of All the Broken Places?

No surprise, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES is an outstanding novel from John Boyne. This book is another example of why he is one of my go-to authors. Plus, although this is a standalone novel, if you read Boyne’s THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, you should notice and may like meeting again some characters the two books have in common.

This is Gretel’s story. She is 91 years old. She tells of her life in a luxury “flat” in 2022 London with her neighbors: Heidi across the hall and Alex and Madelyn and their little boy Henry downstairs. Every other chapter Gretel tells of her past.

She was born in Germany. Her unnamed father was an officer in the German army and was, in large part, responsible for the atrocities during the Holocoaust. Gretel and her family lived quite a nice life. But at the end of the war, when she was 12 years old, her father and brother were gone, and she and her mother escaped to France under assumed names.

Gretel spends the rest of her life feeling guilty and hiding her past.

In 2022 London, she befriends young Henry and does her best to prevent his evil father from ruining his life or even killing him. Because of Gretel’s ongoing guilt, she is not afraid to do what she knows will hurt her.

I’ve read several of Boyne’s books. All, including this one, are unputdownable.