I’ve been meaning to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon for a few years because I’ve heard extraordinary things about it. It came out in 2003, was a #1 international bestseller, and received numerous book awards. The book is covered in review quotes of praise: dazzling, brilliant, original, addictive, inspiring, captivating, moving… etc.
Christopher is 15 and lives in Swindon with his father. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. He is obsessed with maths, science and Sherlock Holmes but finds it hard to understand other people. When he discovers a dead dog on a neighbour’s lawn he decides to solve the mystery and write a detective thriller about it. As in all good detective stories, however, the more he unearths, the deeper the mystery gets – for both Christopher and the rest of his family.
From the publisher, Random House UK
[Note: Cover image shown is the Canadian/US paperback]
Overall, I agree with the praise. It certainly was an original, captivating story. The novel, being narrated in first-person by Christopher, gives the reader incredible insight into the way his mind works. It really illuminates the way Christopher thinks, feels, and reacts in certain situations. For example, the chapter numbers are only prime numbers because he likes prime numbers. There are extensive diagrams when Christopher wants to illustrate something, and images when he is trying to explain something but can’t find the right words.
At the core of the book is Christopher trying to find out who killed Wellington, Mrs. Shear’s dog. Christopher is a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and often uses terms that he’s learned when reading detective thrillers. Through the course of his ‘investigation’ Christopher discovers a secret his father has been hiding from him. Because Christopher always tells the truth and knows that it is wrong to lie, he becomes scared of his father and decides to run away.
While the language is very simple, I think that it allows for the book to be honest and moving. Christopher’s syndrome is never explicitly discussed in the book, and I think this was smart. Not only would it not work in the first-person narrative, but also, it would make the story more technical and less about the emotions. You can really relate to the pain and suffering Christopher experiences in social situations and when life gets overwhelming for him. It was really enlightening for me to read, as I think others have found too. I can certainly see why Mark Haddon received so much praise for the book.
- Listen to the book read by Ben Tibbard courtesy of Random House UK
- View an excerpt in GoogleBooks
- Author Website: MarkHaddon.com
- Wikipedia article about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
July 16, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Oh thanks for reviewing this book, I haven’t thought about it in ages but it must be almost time for a re-read. I really loved how you got to really see and experience how Christopher thought and lived. It was incredible.
July 16, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Sounds very interesting….like I need more books on my list!
July 16, 2010 at 8:45 pm
This is still on my bookshelf in its unread status.
I have read Spot of Bother however, and it is really fun.
July 17, 2010 at 7:11 am
I’ve long wanted to read this book, so I’m glad to see you think it’s a good one.
July 19, 2010 at 9:28 am
Okay. I’ve been meaning to order a few books, and this pushes me right over the edge. I want to read this book, NOW!!!
July 20, 2010 at 7:52 am
I’ve seen this one reviewed a couple times, and sometimes it has been a positive review and sometimes negative. I haven’t read this one yet, but its on the tbr list…we’ll see when I get to it.
July 29, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I read this and Spot of Bother, and I enjoyed both. But Curious Incident by far captivated me much more – you’re right that the not addressing the specific condition Christopher had was a great move, and was very emotional overall.
Spot of Bother was enjoyable in different ways, but dragged on a bit. I may pick up something new of his…sometime!