The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon

 The Book 

    In this first person account by 15 year old Christopher John Francis Boone, a boy tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his neighbor's dog. Christopher is a boy who has many problems fitting in and understanding rules. When he finds the dog dead on his neighbor's front lawn, it causes an altercation with the police, who finally believe him when he says that he didn't kill the dog. His father forbids him to investigate the case. But Christopher is irresistibly drawn to Sherlock Holmes and wonders if he can use his observational skills and deductive reasoning to solve the case. 

Along the way, a few people who understand Christopher try to help him. Sometimes he accepts their help, sometimes he has difficulty understanding why they are helping him. 

Then there are those who are upset and angry about the investigation. It seems the people who would most likely benefit from Christopher solving the case are angry at him for wanting it solved. And while he gets to the bottom of that mystery, he discovers that things are not as they seem in his world at all. 

My Thoughts

Although Christopher doesn't say it, it is believed based on the author, Mark Haddon's experiences working with special needs kids that Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, an older reference to certain types of high functioning people with autism. I have a child who is suspected of having Asperger's. And I can understand why those in the autism community would not want this book, and what might be called a less than nuanced view of autism, in their local library. It not does not surprise me that this book is challenged. I personally hated it, and I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what dealing with autism is like. 

That said, the artist is making a broader point about putting good into the world. This book is really about universal themes of understanding, compassion, and the difficulties humans have relating to each other. 

The people around Christopher make bad decisions. Christopher, like every child, pays for the mistakes of his parents, and occasionally the mistakes of people who are not related to him. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

This 226 page book came to me from my local library. It has seen better days, but it was still in fair condition. 

This Book                                                      $14.95

Items Reviewed This Year                          $325.94

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