December 29th, 2006
Review – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
So much has been written about this book that it is hard to come up with original ways of describing the genius of it. So, I will pretend that you know nothing about it. The book starts with a murder… the murder of a neighborhood dog. The narrator of the book is falsely accused of being the killer so he decides to solve the crime and discover the true perpetrator. It doesn’t sound too interesting except that the narrator of the story is a 16-year old autistic boy by the name of Christopher Boone. Christopher decides to both solve the crime and write about his investigation in a book for a school project.
Solving the crime will be difficult for Christopher for several reasons related to his autism. He is unable to understand why people react the way they do. He can’t decode metaphors such as I laughed my head off, since the person still has their head. He can’t look at people and use their facial expressions as a clue to what they are saying. He becomes overwhelmed by strangers, crowds, loud noises, and being touched and throws himself on the floor, rocking and moaning when he feels overwhelmed. But solving the mystery is only part of the story as Christopher’s investigation reveals something else that he could never have expected.
The story itself is a framework that Haddon uses to show what autism might feel like from inside the mind of an autistic person. There is a logic to the mind of Christopher and by using the first person Haddon makes Christopher a believable and understandable and sympathetic character. This makes even the common place become engrossing as we struggle with Christopher to perform the simplest of tasks. For example, buying a ticket and getting on a train becomes a page-turner as Christopher struggles with crowds and noises and smells.
Haddon has written a brilliant novel that has that rare quality of being worth re-reading. I don’t know if this book actually reflects the mind of a person with autism but I do know that it is thoroughly fascinating, unique, and enjoyable. I can strongly recommend this book.
Technorati Tags: book reviewing, Curious Incident, Mark Haddon
Jennifergg wrote,
Well I’m not going to read this, because I think you are correct, it should be on the Downsyn.com book club. But I DID read the review for MEMORY KEEPER and could see why you might not want to post too much, since Kim Edwards was going to read it all. You make good, valid points, though, many of which were raised in the discussion in various ways. I think it’s best not to have the authors on board, at any rate.
So I started blogging, called Pinwheels, and I was hoping to link to your site. Would that be alright? It’s at:
http://jennifergrafgroneberg.wordpress.com/
Thanks, as always, for the terrific forum. It’s a gift to all of us.
Link | December 30th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
Tom wrote,
Of course, you can post a link to my blog! I have added your blog to my list of Down Syndrome blogs on the right —>
Link | December 30th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
Jennifergg wrote,
Thanks! And say, would you be willing to lead the discussion on CURIOUS INCIDENT, and if so, do you have a preference for the month? If not, I completely understand…you are a busy man. But I think the group will benefit from some other discussion leaders besides me. I am, of course, available by default.
Let me know?
Link | January 2nd, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Tom wrote,
Yes, count me in!
Link | January 4th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Orderer wrote,
My GF picked it up and couldn’t put it down till dawn.
I have resisted it thus far, but maybe not any further!
Link | January 5th, 2007 at 1:48 am