The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński
Probably one of the saddest I've read. Well it's always heartbreaking when a kid narrates how he got lost and all that in a war - hungry, scared, barely clothed, and everything else.
Before the war come to extreme reality, the boy's parents sent him to escape, without at all being sure if it was the best idea - but, to them, it's either he goes or they all won't be able to escape or at least have this chance to.
As the young "Gypsy or Jewish stray" wandered around Europe (can't remember where exactly in Europe) he was able to see brutality, sexual stuffs like incest and rape, murder, and everything else; but of course these things are simply not clear to him, the way he described the details is disturbing. for several times, he was so close to death, by accident (falling or hitting hard grounds/walls), by a soldier's gun directly pointed at him, his master's brutality, etc.
This is one of the many books that should not have a tragic ending. :]
View all my reviews
