The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Author: Mark Haddon
Recommended Age: 13 and older
Publisher: Anchor Canada
ISBN: 978-0-385-65980-2
Year Published: 2004
No. Pages: 226
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Male
Read & Reviewed by: Emma



Christopher Boone is one of the smartest kids in his school for special needs children. He’s autistic, but at the same time he knows how to double twos beyond 33 554 432 and he knows every prime number up to 7 057. He’s taking his A level math class and knows all of the constellations, and all of the countries in the world. He relates well to animals but cannot understand human emotions. Christopher hates to be touched and detests the color yellow. This book is about Christopher’s quest to discover who killed Wellington, the neighbour’s dog. The investigation leads him down an unexpected path in which he is blamed for murder, and discovers the truth behind his mother’s death.

Haddon’s imagery and word choice let you play a movie behind your eyelids, and the novel is written from Christopher’s point of view. The writing is awkward and stilted just like the speech of an autistic boy. It gave me the ability to walk in Christopher’s shoes, experience his hardships and all that he cannot understand. The chapters aren’t numbered in chronological order but rather in ascending prime numbers, because Christopher prefers prime numbers over composite ones. This adds to the book and brings out more of Christopher’s personality.

I can now better understand what it might be like to be autistic.I found that Christopher was hilarious, and inspiring despite his ability to understand emotion. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read that packs a punch. It captured my heart and broke it as Christopher uncovers the truth about Wellington and his mother. It's a breath of fresh air for those who are unaware of autism. It’s a must read.