Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon unfolds in the first-person point of view of Christopher Boone, a fifteen-year-old boy with autism. The novel is an unusual combination of genres: a coming-of-age novel with a detective story. Christopher is portrayed authentically and with a sensitivity laced with gentle humor.
Christopher lives with his father. Because he is incapable of lying, he believes it when his father tells him his mother died in hospital of a heart attack. His life is very regulated. He has his likes and dislikes, avoids anything in yellow and brown, goes to school where he excels in math, and determines the quality of his day by the number of red or yellow cars he sees on the way to school. He seems moderately content, that is until he finds his neighbor’s dog with a garden fork plunged through his chest. Christopher embarks on “detecting” to solve the mystery of who killed the dog. And that is when his life begins to unravel. His “detecting” leads to unintended consequences. He uncovers information that erodes trust in his father, after which he embarks on a terrifying journey on London’s trains and subways.
What makes this book so fascinating is the insight we gain into the mind of a child with autism. Christopher is an autistic savant—a genius when it comes to facts and figures. His ability to see and to recall details is prodigious. His matter-of-fact revelations about his likes and dislikes, his need for routine and structure, his love of science and mathematics, his quirks, his logic, his literal-minded understanding, his need for specificity, his fear of crowds and of being touched, his interactions with others—all are, at times, hilarious, and, at other times, poignant and emotionally heart-breaking. His trip to London realistically captures his fear of being in unfamiliar settings, surrounded by crowds. But it also captures his immense bravery and determination to overcome obstacles.
In Christopher Boone, Mark Haddon has created an unforgettable character who elicits compassion, empathy, and understanding. The irony is he does it through a character who is emotionally detached, one who is completely oblivious to the emotional lives of people around him—even those who love him and try to protect him.
An impressive achievement. Highly recommended.