The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Book review

Neli Ivanova DIS, 200903918

The novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was written in 2003 by the British writer Mark Haddon. The title comes from Arthur Conan Doyle s 1892 short story Silver Blaze . Although the book won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, the public was somewhat divided over the main character and his condition. The term Asperger s syndrome appeared on the cover of the book, which led to the author being invited to events dealing with the syndrome and autism, although Mark Haddon is not an expert in this field. He himself claims he based his character Christopher on two people with no actual mental disabilities. The The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, a fifteen year old boy with an autistic spectrum condition, who investigates the death of his neighbor s black poodle Wellington. Since he enjoys reading detective stories very much, Christopher decides to write a detective novel about his investigation. The book is written in first person narrative, exclusively from Christopher s point of view. Chapter by chapter Haddon describes the boy s world, his daily routines, his unique perspective of the world, of human relationships and feelings. What I found really endearing were Christopher s rules and rituals, his ways of explaining and coping with the confusing world that surrounds him. He lives with his father, who takes care of him, after his mother passes away from a heart attack 2 years prior to the time the story takes place. Ed Boone is a caring and devoted father, doing everything within his power to make his son comfortable. He is also a sad and lonely man, with a bit of a secret. Following the mystery of the dead poodle Christopher meets some new people and discovers some troubling truths about the people surrounding him and eventually ends up solving an even greater mystery involving their neighbor Mrs. Shears husband, and the reasons behind him leaving her. A friend of mine gave it to me as a gift for Christmas almost 3 years ago and it took me some time to get around and read it. It was an interesting experience for me. It is not the first time I read a book written through the eyes of a troubled child, but it is the first time I found myself not always being on the side of the narrator. I must admit, I did not always like Christopher. I was very often confused by his logic and his actions, and by his

lack of all known to me emotions. I remember I was very upset with the character when at one point of the book he turned completely against his father, truly believing his father could and probably will hurt him or even murder him. All just because he found out Mr. Boone was keeping a secret from him. I felt really sorry for his father, who was sacrificing so much and working so hard for his child. And I understand these are just the symptoms of the condition. And I believe that my emotional reaction is an indicator of how well the book was written and how the author managed to create realistic, living characters. Another interesting thing that I found while reading this book was a similarity with another rather controversial novel, this time written by an American author When I Was Five I Killed Myself by Howard Buten. It is also written in first narrative and the main character is a child, this time younger only 8 years old, with alleged mental problems. I found the atmosphere in both novels pretty similar and the way the authors handled the delicate issues surrounding their main characters. And in both cases, there are similar lessons to learn there are people who see the world differently from us, and they are just as right as we are. And just because it is sometimes hard for us to understand them, we must not reject them or lock them away. There is diversity in this world and this is what makes it special. It would be foolish of us to not learn as much as we can about it, and try and accept all forms and varieties of it. We are all equally worthy and equally important.