Sometimes I think I’ve been living under a rock. I just finished “a thumping good read” …and checked the year it was written thinking it was probably 2016 or something like that…2003!!! I guess it was a heavy rock. ☹

Mark Haddon prior to this book worked with autistic individuals. The protagonist, Christopher, is an autistic young man. I have a suspicion a number of reviewers will comment on the book and whether he was accurate or not in depicting Christopher. I think he was…and I know there are many different strata of autism. However, I have a lot of respect for Oliver Sacks, the brilliant neurologist who wrote a number of very good books (The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat)…and he had this to say: A brilliant autism novel has been overdue-and this is it! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is delightful. Mark Haddon shows great insight into the autistic mind, and he brings his young narrator protagonist quite wonderfully to life. I found it very moving, very plausible-and very funny.” (very italicized for emphasis).

In my reviews I try to avoid spoilers so I will just say a couple of things (well now that I look back at my review I guess it is several!).

I thought the use of using prime numbers for chapter numbers was extremely clever (I started out with Chapter 2 and thought the bookseller had torn out a page!)

The drawings were extremely clever.

The use of Sherlock Holmes and his powers of deduction/investigatory work was a nice touch.

In terms of what happened to the dog in the night – I did not see that coming but when things were explained it made perfect sense.

I was captivated by Christopher’s logic/outlook on life – I learned a lot from him.

Christopher sometimes did not have an easy time of things – a number of things disturbed him. And I felt for him. I also empathized with his mom and dad.

I thought the plot line was superb. It revealed the thought processes of Christopher when he was scared, confused, and happy. I thought this blurb in the inner cover of the dustjacket put it really well: “And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotion. The effect is dazzling, making for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world literally.”

Then there’s this quote by Christopher: “I think people believe in heaven because they don’t like the idea of dying, because they want to carry on living and they don’t like the idea that other people will move into their house and put their things in the rubbish.”

His explanation of how we read when we scan a book (are yes moving rapidly back and forth and how do we process the stimuli (pp. 116-118) – very provocative at least to me.

Christopher makes use of the LONDON AZ Street Atlas and Index, Geographers’ A-Z Map Company. This is a later edition of a street atlas/map compendium that Phyllis Pearsall first created by walking the streets of London circa 1936 and is the subject of a fascinating read, Mrs. P’s Journey by Sarah Hartley (Simon and Schuster, 2001). I really liked that book…

And I loved this book! It made my day.

دیدین بعضی وقتا تو موقعیتایی گیر می‌کنید که مجبور میشید حرف آخر رو همون اول کار بزنید؟ الان تو همون موقعیتم... کتاب تصویرگر یه پسر نوجوون اوتیسمیه که اون‌قدر شیرین و دوس‌داشتنی هست که با خودت میگی بری همه‌ی شیش میلیارد کمتر آدمایی که اوتیسمی نیستن رو جمع کنی یه جا. صمیمانه باهاشون بشینی و بگی بچه‌ها بیاید گورمون رو از رو کره‌ی زمین گم کنیم. بیاین بریم یه جای دیگه تا این آدم‌های نازنین کمی از دست ما خلاص بشن و نفس راحتی بکشن

آره. شاید همه‌ی اوتیسمیا این‌قدر دوست‌داشتنی نباشن. اما همین که آدم باور می‌کنه کریستوفر رو چرا نباید باور کنه که شاید حداقل یه کریستوفر دیگه روی این زمین وجود داشته باشه که داره رنج می‌بره از ما و «بودن»های ما. کریستوفر شاید داره با سادگی سقلمه‌ای می‌زنه به بازومون که هی رفیق شاید همه‌ی این مناسباتی که بین خودتون راه انداختین... همه‌ی این رفتارهای متظاهرانه‌ی پالتیکلی کارکتی که آشنا و غریبه رو باهاش بزک می‌کنین... شاید یکی یه جایی داره حالش ازتون به هم می‌خوره. شاید یکی هی مجبوره دستش رو چاقوی ضامندار سوئیسیش باشه. شاید یکی مجبوره از دست‌تون دستاش رو بذاره رو گوشش و فریاد بکشه تا صداهاتون، همهمه‌هاتون، جنجال‌ها و دعواهاتون رو نشنوه. برای دوس داشتن کریستوفر باید از خودمون کمی بدمون بیاد و خوب این معامله‌ی کمی نیست. مخصوصا برای «ما». «مایی» که خوبیم. مایی که اصلا کی میگه بالا چشم‌مون ابروعه؟
...

داستان توی چند فصل مونده به آخر کار به شدت افت می‌کنه. به توصیه‌ی این کمینه ضمن حفظ خون‌سردی داستان رو ادامه بدید که یه پایان‌بندی خوب در کمینه
.

What was I supposed to take away from this? Was it supposed to have some sort of significance? Was it supposed to cause some emotional turmoil? Was it here to teach me something about life? Is there some wisdom I can find in this story? Was the literature any significant? I honestly have no idea.
I did not find the story of the autistic boy trying to do a few simple tasks fun or interesting. Nor was the premise anything worthy or noticeable. Same goes for the ending.
I'm happy I'm finally done with this and can go on to reading something worth my time.

Uno de mis libros favoritos de todos los tiempos. Me lo hicieron leer en inglés durante mis años de estudio y rápidamente entró en mi Top de mejores lecturas.

Acá conocemos a Cristopher, un niño de 15 años con autismo, que descubre el cadáver de Wellington, el perro de su vecina, por el cual lo marcan como sospechoso. Por lo que, al más puro estilo Sherlock Holmes, se plantea descubrir al verdadero culpable, llevándolo a desvelar una serie de secretos que le cambiarán la vida para siempre.

Libro muy fácil de leer, con capítulos cortos y algunas imágenes que van complementando la lectura por lo que lo terminas bastante rápido. La novela se narra en primera persona y desde el punto de vista de Cristopher por lo que de cierta forma llegamos a empatizar con su particular forma de pensar y su dificultad para la muestras de emociones, así como su lógica interna y matemática con casi todas las cosas que lo rodean.

En un principio pensé que solo se trataría de un simple libro de aventuras de un niño autista, pero a medida que van surgiendo las revelaciones se logra entender lo complejo del mundo de Cristopher y de como su condición de cierta manera termina por afectar también a aquellos que lo rodean.

El final es sensiblero, pero no por ello deja de ser bueno, dejándonos una sensación agradable para el futuro que le espera y los logros que Cristopher pretende alcanzar. En cuanto al padre, bueno, queda cierta sensación de injusticia para con él, pese a los errores que cometió... pero en fin... que cada uno juzgue con su propia lectura.

Libro ligero y diferente ¡Muy recomendado!

Here's what I liked about this book:
1. I found Christopher, with all his many quirks, to be sweet and rather endearing.
2. I thought it was a creative idea to write a book from the point of view of a boy with Asperger syndrome. This is difficult to pull off, but the author does it well.
3. I enjoyed Christopher's musings about life and the way in which he sees it.
4. I love making lists.

Here's what I didn't like about this book:
1. It wasn't really a mystery and I found some of it to be a bit predictable (I guessed who killed Wellington long before it was revealed).
2. The first half is better than the second half.
3. As much as I love making lists (see above), the list thing got the slightest bit annoying after awhile.

Overall, a poignant story about a young, brave autistic boy trying to make sense of and find his place in this very complicated world. Worth the read.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. What a wonderful experience to read this book. To be taken into the mind of a teenage boy with high-functioning autism is quite extraordinary. To understand how he thinks compared to those of us not autistic is mind opening and thought provoking.

This wonderful mystery is told by Christopher who sets out to solve the murder of Wellington, the neighbor's dog. This is no minor feat. Christopher has a difficult time socializing as he can't pick up on nuances or cues like other people. He doesn't like to be touched which can sometimes get him into trouble. He says what he thinks without having the skill set to understand how others will react which gets him into difficult situations. Told with humor, we get to see how the mind of someone on the spectrum is wired differently than the rest of us. Told using many mathematical references, we also see the intellectual genius of Christopher which is quite common among those with Asperger's. From a personal perspective, my 23 year old son with Asperger's often says to me, "Mom my brain doesn't think like yours". The book shows us this in the interactions he has with his parents and others around him frequently.

A fast and enjoyable book for everyone. Don't miss it.
5 out of 5 stars.

Please don't take this book to be the actual workings of an autistic mind. The author admittedly knows nothing about autism and simply wrote a work of fiction, imagining what might have been going on in the head of a character he invented. He even has expressed irritation that the word autism was used on the dust jacket by the publisher in some editions, because he is sometimes asked to give speeches on a subject of which he is totally ignorant. Enjoy this book as a work of fiction but nothing more. This book is not really about autism, even though the boy has many traits of that condition. The inner workings of his head are not what actual autistic people report the condition to be like. Please do not use this book to try to understand an autistic person in your life, or to gather any information about Asperger 's Syndrome or anything else related. Temple Grandin's books are much better for this purpose.

I wish the author would make a new edition with a disclaimer at the beginning.

I enjoyed the story, once I understood the above, but I am rating it low to try and combat the spread of misconceptions. Unfortunate, since the author didn't do this on purpose, but it is what it is.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. I was a bit worried that it would be too "clever" and gimmicky, but it turned out to be very well written and kept my attention throughout. It was interesting to read a book written from the POV of an autistic boy and Haddon did a great job of working in Christopher's everyday approach to life as well the bigger picture of his family unit revealed through the snippets of adult interaction.

What was less successful for me was the whole "curious incident" itself, but perhaps that is more of a marketing issue since it's the main hook of the story. I also tend to enjoy books more when they are more emotionally involving, which tended to be mostly an impossibility with a narrator like this one. Still, I would expect to feel more than mild curiosity and mild pity when reading a story like this. A little more tension and little more excitement to go along with the intellectual exercise would have been great.

This was an amazing book & a must read for all young adults. When Christopher Boone happens upon the dead body of his neighbor's dog, he accidently also stumbles upon a secret that could change his life forever. 'The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time' told from Christopher's point of view chronicles the everyday challenges that special needs children like him face, & yet how they cope with dignity & bravery. The novel is fast-paced & exciting to read. Invigorating & yet profound in its little philosophies of life, this book is a coming of age book like no other. Other than the mysterious main plot of the book, we as readers are invited into the life of Christopher Boone who lives alone with his doting father after the sudden death of his aggressive yet equally loving mother. Christopher through his innocent & candid voice brings into focus his school life, his excellence in Math, his abhorrence of anything yellow or brown in color & the little philosophies of life that makes him who he is as a person. These philosophies are fascinating to read & are at times hard to swallow but are quite true. Told with the precision of a mathematician & the wonder of a child, these philosophies bring alive the world of Christopher Boone which he shares with the people who care about him. The mathematical, geographical & other logical facts shared by him are enlightening & entertaining. The author has done a near to perfection job in linking each philosophy with an event or series of events in the novel. But will Christopher Boone be able to solve the puzzling incident of Wellington’s death? Wellington who was a dog yet a living creature or a ‘person’ who deserved his murder being investigated into, even if it by a lonely boy caught in between two warring worlds. Find all about this by reading Mark Haddon’s brilliant suspense filled & yet heart-warming book titled ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time'. I read this novel 18 years ago when I had just passed out of high-school & was the same age as the protagonist in this novel. The book had a lasting impression on me then & I was glad to revisit it this year as the book is part of the school syllabus in the city where I teach. The book can never be dated. It is as refreshing a read today as it was 18 years ago. My favorite parts in the book were when daring & persistent Christopher finds out about the real identity of the murderer as well as when he tried interviewing people during the investigation. I hope to read more of Haddon’s books in the coming days. This book gets 5 stars from me!

This is the story of Christopher Boone, a very likable 15 year old who suffers from Asperger Syndrome, a type of higher functioning Autism. Christopher sets out to solve a mystery; who killed Wellington, his neighbors dog, something he wants very much to do because he is accused of committing the crime. Christopher’s detective work helps him solve some other mysteries along the way, one that is much more important than who killed Wellington.

I reread this book I had first read in 2003 when it was first published. I remembered the premise but not the details and hadn't reviewed it at the time. Recently I saw a news article where it was listed as one of the best novels so far in this 21st century. This was poignant, original, empathetic, funny and alarming.


Christopher is a high functioning autistic boy. All children exhibiting the characteristics of the autistic syndrome are different, but Christopher has many of the traits. He needs to see patterns and requires a sense of order. He has a genius for numbers. He has difficulty understanding the emotions of others.


The book begins with Christopher discovering that a neighbour's dog has been killed. He fancies himself to be like Sherlock Holmes. He will discover who killed the dog and write a book about it. To investigate, he must question neighbours. This requires he must overcome his dread in talking to strangers and venture around the area by himself, knocking on doors. Christopher displays an advanced vocabulary, scientific knowledge, and love of math and puzzles in his journal, but with many digressions from the main topic. Because his rambling thought processes jump from one subject to another, patience is required when reading his journal, and also from his family and teachers when dealing with him.

Christopher lives with his loving father who sometimes becomes exasperated with the boy's tantrums, wilfulness and compulsions. He broke the sad news to Christopher several years ago that his mother had died. Halfway through the book, the young detective discovers the identity of dog's killer and a shocking family secret. The rest of the book deals with the consequences and repercussions of what Christopher had discovered.

EXCERPT: ...as I was crossing the street I had a stroke of inspiration about who might have killed Wellington. I was imagining a Chain of Reason inside my head which was like this
1. Why would you kill a dog?
a) because you hated the dog.
b) because you were mad.
c) because you wanted to make Mrs Shears upset.
2. I didn't know anyone who hated Wellington, so if it was a) it was probably a stranger.
3. I didn't know any mad people, so if it was b), it was probably also a stranger.
4. Most murders are committed by someone known to the victim. In fact, you are most likely to be murdered by a member of your own family on Christmas Day. This is a fact. Wellington was therefore most likely to have been killed by someone known to him.
5. If it was c), I only knew one person who didn't like Mrs Shears, and that was Mr Shears who knew Wellington very well indeed.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, for fifteen-year-old Christopher everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favourite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is funny, poignant and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.

MY THOUGHTS: I have been wanting to read this book for some years, ever since it was a Goodreads group read one month, and I couldn't lay my hands on a copy. Last year I found a copy in a bookshop and brought it for my grandson as part of his Christmas parcel. He read it for an English assignment this year, then his mother read it and, finally, I then got to read it.

I found it fascinating to see into the mind of someone with Aspergers Syndrome. I have read other books with characters similarly affected, but for some reason it is Christopher that will remain with me. I have found myself looking at numbers differently, and I now have a fascination with prime numbers. This from a person who flunked high school mathematics quite spectacularly! I still, however, have to admit to not understanding the maths problems Conways Soldiers or the Monty Hall Problem. And I have no idea, still, what the relationship is between 7 and 865. So while this book has left me in the dark mathematically speaking, I enjoyed it. And I learned a lot.

I know it was written some time ago, but I really would like to know how Christopher gets on at University.