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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime Author:Mark Haddon Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. — Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every... more » prime number up to 7,057. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. At fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbour’s dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.
Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer, and turns to his favourite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the workings of Christopher’s mind.
And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotions. The effect is dazzling, making for one of the freshest debut in years: a comedy, a tearjerker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.« less
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" brings the reader right into the world and thought process of the main character. It reads less like a detective novel and more as a character analysis of autism. The pages fly by, not in an attempt to solve who-dunnit, but to find out what will be said or done next. An entire universe of logic unfolds that the adult mind has trouble understanding, and yet Mark Haddon has used his years of experience to bring forward a very memorable literary character. I found the solution to the murder mystery slightly out of flow with the rest of the novel but it did not lessen my overall enjoyment.
I am familiar with several forms of Austism and found this book incredibly touching. Not at all what I expected, it was a good story told from an unique point of view. I picked it up after hearing a number of other people rave about it, and am very glad I did. This should become a classic.
This book was written from the perspective of an autistic boy. It presented an interesting world view, but I was disappointed with the ending. I was really into it at first, but by the middle I started to feel like I was reading the book version of an After School Special.
Deeda O. (dmovercast) reviewed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on
After reading the author's wild and crazy story, 'A Spot of Bother,' I couldn't wait to get my hands on something else of his. Much to my suprise, this book comes from a completely different spectrum. Having a young family member with special needs, I instantly fell in love with this book. It takes time to get used to the writing style, but if this book were written grammatically correct, it wouldn't hit home. This story is as realistic as they come! It's as simple as that. The author's versatility amazes me.
A pleasant, refreshing viewpoint on every day occurrences. Life skills vary depending on your needs, capabilities and desires. This novel proves that these variations still show that we can all arrive at the same result. I appreciated the authors method of elevating an autistic young man to the forefront. Reading this reminding me of watching a film in rewind mode, editing and piecing it back together in absolute sequence that makes perfect sense.
I had put this book on my paperbackswap wish list after seeing it on a recommended reading list. I finally got around to reading it. I wasn't sure what to expect so was surprised that it was written from the point of view of an autistic 15-year old boy living in the UK with his dad. The "incident of the dog in the night time" is the gruesome discovery (by the protagonist) of the neighbor's dead dog.
I figured that the book would mainly be about learning who was responsible for the dog's death but the identity of the killer was revealed about halfway through the book.
I don't know anyone with Asperger's or autism so don't know how accurately Christopher is protrayed. And, I've heard that the Asperger's/autism spectrum is pretty broad so symptoms/behaviors can vary greatly. However, as I was reading the book, I thought that being a parent to someone like Christopher could be pretty challenging.
I skipped over some of the "examples" that Christopher provided as they were sometimes long and really added nothing to the story. The book is a slim 221 pages. If the author hadn't added all the examples (diagrams, drawings, lengthy explanations of how.why Christopher had arrived at a certain conclusion), the book would have probably been 25 pages shorter.
I have extreme mixed feelings on this book. First, it was good, but I would not rave like some others. It's a quick read, I finished in a day. The mixed feelings are caused because I know and love persons affected with autism. This story... well, not so much the story, but the "voice" hits so close to home. Being in Christophers head and seeing things the way he saw them and hearing the way his mind works - well, it caused my own anxiety. So much so, that I took a break early on because it was distressing. Again, not the story, but the insight... Very real. I recommend the book as a whole, I'm sorry I took so long to pick it up.
A very interesting story about a child with Asperger's Syndrome; he cannot interact normally with other humans, though his math and logic skills are exceptional. We follow Christopher Boone's investigation into the murder of his neghbor's dog and an interesting new view of human emotion.
Excellent read. You are able to view the world from the perspective of the main character, an autistic young man, and see both the beauty and horror that result from his mental condition.
[This book] is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about math and very little about human beings. He loves lists, pattterns and the truth. He hates the colors yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbor's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.