Book Review : Stay Where You Are & Then Leave by John Boyne

Hi. I’m going to write a review about a book that I read. The book is titled “Stay Where You Are and Then Leave” by John Boyne. I found this book while window shopping on preloved Instagram pages, and decided to buy it because I’m familiar enough with the author, John Boyne, who has written compelling and devastating books like “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”. He isn’t afraid to tackle complex historical fiction themes involving children and war, especially during World War I.

The main character in this book is a 5-year-old boy named Alfie Summerfield who lives in England during World War I. During his birthday in August 1914, everyone is present including his best friend Kalena, his grandmother Old Bill, and especially his father. Unfortunately, right after his birthday, World War I begins, and his father, Georgie, who works as a milkman, decides to join up immediately. His father is excited about becoming a soldier and serving his country, but Alfie has mixed feelings about his father joining the army, though he can't stop him. Alfie’s dad, Georgie, writes letters continuously to inform his wife and, of course, Alfie, that everything is fine. He writes these letters from the trenches, but after a couple of years, the letters stop coming. Alfie asks his mother why his father stopped sending letters, and she tells him it’s because his father is on a secret government mission. Alfie doesn’t believe this explanation and becomes suspicious that something may have happened to his father.

Alfie’s mother works as a nurse in a hospital but her income isn’t enough to cover their daily needs. Because of this, Alfie decides to help his mother earn money by becoming a shoeshine boy at King’s Cross Station. He spends most of his time working and only goes to school twice a week. When he gives his mother the money he earns from his secret job, she is shocked because she didn’t know he was working as a shoeshine boy. During his work, Alfie meets a customer who is an army doctor. While doing his job, a paper the doctor has is blown away by the wind. When Alfie tries to retrieve it, he finds a paper that reveals the truth: his dad is not on a secret mission, and something has happened to him. I won’t spoil the rest of the story for you, but it’s heart-wrenching, although not as devastating as “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”.

The plot is easy to follow, and there are no complex characters. Alfie himself is easy to like; his earnestness and heartwarming personality won me over. The part where he tries to help his mom earn more money made me tear up. He willingly devotes his time to help his mom by working as a shoeshine boy instead of playing with his friends and going to school. Despite its war-related theme, I think this book is suitable for all ages, even for kids, because it has good moral values and easy-to-follow language. One quote that fascinated me is: "It has to end one day. Wars always do. The new ones can't start if the old ones don't end." - Margie, Pages 60.

My final verdict on this book is positive. I really enjoyed reading it. It’s not as much of a rollercoaster or as devastating as "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", but it still made me tear up at some chapters. I definitely recommend it—superb writing!

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave

Goodreads Rating : 4/5 (93%)

Originally published: 2013

Author: John Boyne

Genre: Historical Fiction

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