Christopher
Boone is a remarkable young boy who lives with his father. He's very intuitive,
he's extraordinarily observant, he's beyond bright, he's supremely logical, and
he's autistic. Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time is a mystery story, a family tale, and a view
through the eyes of this wonderful, autistic boy of his very particular kind of
coming-of-age.
In the opening pages Christopher finds
Wellington, a dog belonging to his neighbor Mrs. Shears, lying dead on her
lawn, a garden fork protruding from his body. The discovery sparks
Christopher's interest and inspires him to look into the murder and write a
book about his investigation. While most other children might lose interest in
such a grand undertaking after a day or two, this is not the case for our hero.
On the contrary, the investigation prompts Christopher to go outside of his very
strict comfort zone--he talks to strangers, ignores his schedule, travels alone
away from home.
What seemed like a very simple task
at first becomes a great adventure toward the discovery of the truth, of many
truths as it turns out. As Christopher's mind is different than most, he
follows his train of thought wherever it may go, and it leads him farther than
he's ever been--both figuratively and literally. Christopher's father, who makes
every effort to accommodate his son's needs, is at a loss when it comes to this
new behavior. What he once thought was best for his son no longer seems to work
and a new approach becomes necessary.
Living with an autistic child
presents many and different challenges beyond the normal child-rearing
responsibilities. What The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time does brilliantly is explore the
stream of consciousness of an autistic mind. The chapters are numbered with
prime numbers only--as the book we are reading is the book that Christopher is writing and sequencing the chapters
that way is perfectly logical to him. When this same logic leads him to a
thought that is best described with a graph or a drawing or an equation, he
includes that too. It's what makes sense, doesn't it?
Mark Haddon spent time in his youth working with
autistic individuals and has a unique comprehension that he transfers
eloquently onto the pages of The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. What we learn is that really, it's
not that autistics think about different things than we do, it's just that they
think about those things differently. This realization changes
Christopher's relationships and brings him to a new stage in his young life.
The growth is obvious--of both Christopher and those around him--and it is a
testament to the infinite possibilities in every life.
If you've read this book, I'd love to hear your
thoughts on Christopher Boone and his adventures. What did you find most
compelling about his character or his story? Do you have an autistic person in
your life? If so, how has this book affected your ideas about autism or your
interaction with this person? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions!
BONUS: A film adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is currently in the works here in the U.S.!
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Fixer-Upper by Malena Lott
Melaina Phipps
My new novel features Saratoga during the 80's, and Ive been encouraged to have it reviewed by someone in Saratoga. You're name was mentioned often, and if you'd like me to send you a copy I'll be happy to do so.
It is titled "Fender Mason"...(the name of the main character.)and is a comedy/romance/mystery. You can check out previous reviews on Amazon.
Bernie Orenstein