The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

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Editorial reviews

From Amazon.co.uk
The title IThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time/I (or ithe curious incident of the dog in the night-time/i as it appears within the book) is an appropriate one for Mark Haddon's ingenious novel both because of its reference to that most obsessive and fact-obsessed of detectives, Sherlock Holmes, and because its lower-case letters indicate something important about its narrator.p Christopher is an intelligent youth who lives in the functional hinterland of autism--every day is an investigation for him because of all the aspects of human life that he does not quite get. When the dog next door is killed with a garden fork, Christopher becomes quietly persistent in his desire to find out what has happened and tugs away at the world around him until a lot of secrets unravel messily. p Haddon makes an intelligent stab at how it feels to, for example, not know how to read the faces of the people around you, to be perpetually spooked by certain colours and certain levels of noise, to hate being touched to the point of violent reaction. Life is difficult for the difficult and prickly Christopher in ways that he only partly understands; this avoids most of the obvious pitfalls of novels about disability because it demands that we respect--perhaps admire--him rather than pity him. --IRoz Kaveney/I

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Customer reviews

review by: Pop_culture_geek date: 2009-06-16 rating:
Interesting, but not enthralling
Having read the book several times now - both privately, but also with students as part of our Year 9 curriculum - I find it has started to raise more questions than it answers. br /I like the complexity of the main character's, Christopher Boone, coming of age journey - difficult for all teenagers, let alone when trying to navigate it with AS. However, having read other reviews on both Amazon and other websites, I now question the validity of Haddon's portrayal of this particular learning difficulty. Additionally, I share the comments about how two-dimensional Christopher is, and although the intention by the author may be to inform the reader about how an AS teenager copes, at times, it makes for "flat" reading. Another criticism I have is regarding the narrative style - initially unusual, it soon becomes repetitive. br /Saying all that though, I do believe there is a great deal of entertainment - and education - within the pages of the book. It successfully raises the issue of learning difficulties in a realistic and at times, amusing, way. It also successfully tackles the grey area of family life - both loving and dysfunctional for Christopher - and this is something I think most readers can relate to. The peripheral characters, and Christopher's parents, serve as effective narrative devices to illustrate human nature in all its variances. br /Yes, an interesting book which I enjoyed discussing with my very mature teenage students, but not perfect.

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review by: date: 2009-06-04 rating:
wonderful
This was originally written as a children's book but has subsequently been picked up by adults, almost definitely due to its subject matter. The narrator of this novel is 15 year old Christopher Boone who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism. You can't help but love this child and want the best for him. Many reviewers have been able to relate this book to their own children and problems they may have - I can't do this, I read it for it being a good book and I enjoyed it for it being excellently written with an ability to tug on your heart strings without being sentimental. br / br /I will be honest, the plot isn't great but the characters more than make up for this. I do not know how accurately it portrays the mind of someone with Aspergers but I would like to think it is pretty close to the truth. br / br /I think Mark Haddon has done a wonderful job in managing to create a book that not only is not condescending and difficult to read but is remarkably engaging, warm and funny. br /

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review by: Palfs date: 2009-05-29 rating:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Product came very quickly after I ordered it which was fantastic. br /Bought it as a birthday present for my mum and she is very much enjoying reading it. br /It is easy to read and follow and it gives a good insight into the way an autistic person would think and feel. br /I recommend buying this product, especially from Amazon.co.uk

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review by: date: 2009-05-21 rating:
I think you've missed the point
I liked the book but I've deliberately given a bad rating so this pops up among the negative reviews (and I think after 400+ reviews it can stand the tiny drop in average!) br / br /The back cover says Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome. This is severely stretching anyone's definition, he is autistic on several counts. I have two children with Aspergers' and they are infinitely better, just slightly gauche, and I think all 'Aspies' are apparently normal until interacted with at length, want to fit in but find difficulties. Christopher has many autistic aspects, has no wish to fit in and his dreams are based around isolation and his own focuses. Every autistic person has a different blend of language, social, diet etc. difficulties on a spectrum. Christopher is still on the spectrum; there are many worse than him e.g. non-verbals. You should just accept it as a study of autism and with a good story accessible to the 'neurotypical' who can relate to the feelings of the other characters. br / br /Incidentally, my (intelligent) son of 12 read part of it but gave up due to the swearing; a neurotypical would be able to infer the feelings behind the language and understand what was happening, thus putting up with the blunt language.


review by: date: 2009-05-15 rating:
Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Only one criticism with this book is that it ended; I could have continued to read and read and read. I found myself instantly warmed to the main character and loving his personality and quirks. Absolutely fascinating read which has been written with care and attention to detail. I would recommend to anyone.

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