All The Broken Places

All The Broken Places is a fiction novel written by John Boyne. The story starts out in London. In a second floor apartment lives a 91 year old woman named Gretel. She lives in a luxury apartment. She is friends with the woman across the hall. When the downstairs apartment gets new tenants Gretel is anxious about compatibility. A young woman with her 8 year old son, Henry, moves in. Later her arrogant film director husband moves in too. Gretel does not get along with the husband downstairs because he is abusive. He searches into Gretel's past. He finds out about her father who was a Nazi commander during world war two. The book is actually a sequel to The Boy In Striped Pajamas. Gretel was the boy in striped pajamas older sister. The abusive man downstairs threatens to expose Gretel's past if she exposes his domestic violence. This very entertaining book explores the complex personality of Gretel and the long lasting effects of culpability.