Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

THE FACTS: 

            Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

            Author:  Mark Haddon

            Publication Date:  2003

            Pages:  226

            Round of applause:  joint winner of the 2004 Boeke Prize.

SUMMARY:

This novel is written from the first person perspective of a math obsessed 15 year-old boy with Autism named Christopher.  He begins his story by declaring that he is writing a murder mystery novel to record his investigation of the mysterious death of Wellington, his neighbor’s dog.  Despite his father’s warnings to not get involved in other people’s business, Christopher begins asking questions and looking for clues to solve the mystery.  Through his investigations, he interacts with people he’s never met (not a small feat for someone on the Autism spectrum), is able to set aside—at least temporarily—some of his aversions (the colors brown and yellow, for example), and actually solves the mystery of Wellington’s death. 

But it doesn’t stop there.

I can’t get into it too much without ruining it for you, but Christopher’s investigation into Wellington’s murder leads him to a much bigger discovery…one that causes him to brave new experiences much bigger than meeting his neighbors for the first time or tolerating brown and yellow.  What is it you ask?  Guess you’ll have to read to find out…

E’s 2 CENTS:

            Okay.  I love this book.  If you’re looking for sweeping, poetic prose you’ll have to take a trip back to the library, but Haddon’s masterful construction of his protagonist’s unique voice is past commendable. Christopher’s specific diagnosis is never directly addressed in the novel, but the dust jacket notes the author’s years of experience working with students with autism.  It’s likely that Christopher has a mild form of Autism such as Asgerger Syndrome, but for those of you whipping out your iPhone for your Wikipedia App, you can cool your jets.  Haddon renders detailed descriptions of various points on the Autism spectrum virtually unnecessary.  This is one thing I really appreciate about Curious Incident:  it doesn’t dwell on the Autism… it doesn’t have to.  The narration is constructed in such a way that the reader knows very early on what would be challenging or easy for Christopher.  The novel isn’t about Autism, it’s a story of a boy making discoveries and growing up told through the lens of Autism.

            Haddon deals with some sophisticated math concepts with comparable dexterity. Christopher—incredibly skilled at math… not so much with interpreting social interaction—throws around some intense mathematical concepts.  I don’t understand them (and check my temperature if I ever claim to!), but I didn’t feel like I had to have a working knowledge of A-Level Maths in order to appreciate Christopher’s love and capacity for the subject.  I appreciate any author that can include abstract theories or complicated equations and still keep me reading.

            I could keep going for a while, but you get the picture.  This is a wonderfully constructed book that grants readers a peek into a very unique perspective.  While it presents this awesome opportunity to “see through another’s eyes,” Curious Incident also tells a pretty good story.  We get to see Christopher grapple with those YA questions—Who am I?  What am I going to do about it?  Where do I belong?—in light of some incidences that are curious indeed.  Endearing and compelling, this novel is definitely worth a read.


--E