The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Published by Jonathan Cape, Random House, 2003
This
book is very well worth reading for the insight it gives into the
mind of an autistic teenager, Christopher Boone. The book jacket
describes it as a very funny book. I didn’t find it rib-ticklingly
funny – to my mind it was bitter-sweet and poignant, with
occasional comic episodes. It is an easy book to read, as it is
the story of how Christopher sets out to solve the mystery of why
his neighbour’s dog was killed.
The
author, in telling the story of Christopher’s quest, presents
us with the fractured terrifying world occupied by those who have
Asperger’s. Sufferers of this form of Autism are unable to
relate to people, cannot bear being touched and find emotions and
feelings are totally alien to them. Mark Haddon manages to bring
us into this world, where the behaviour of parents, neighbours,
policemen are completely incomprehensible and Christopher struggles
to understand what is happening round him.
‘The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night–Time’
is a book that should appeal to children as well as adults as it
is written in an easy open style. I’m giving it to my teenage
son so he can appreciate that books nominated for the Man Booker
Prize are accessible and capable of being enjoyed by readers of
all ages.
Reviewed
by a Clare County Library staff member
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