Mark Haddon; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time review

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is, first and foremost, a form of detective novel. Detailed within are the investigations of a teenager into the 'murder' of a neighbours dog. The protagonist is Christopher (John Francis) Boone, a 15 year old boy who suffers with Asperger syndrome, a form of Autism. During his 'detective' work (which he is also writing a book/diary about), he discovers secrets about his family life that he would never have dreamt of (partly because, as he says within the text, he cannot imagine what has not happened). These discoveries - including who killed the dog - lead him to run from his current home in search of another, simply because he no longer feels safe.

The manner in which the novel is written is intriguing, and truly stands out next to the majority of books I have read. Written in the first person narrative perspective, the tale takes on the form of Christopher's fragmented, factual thoughts which cause the text to feel a little stilted at times. The inclusion of directions given by Christopher's mentor in school, is a good example of this; he often states that Siobhan has told him that describing a certain thing would bore a reader. In spite of this, it is an enjoyable read, and does offer a great insight into how someone with Asperger Syndrome thinks and sees the world. I would strongly recommend that you read it. :)
/ [Duke Devlin]

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