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. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal …
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. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.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 is a mind that perceives the world literally.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.
This is not a mystery book like I was lead to believe. The murderer of the dog confesses it about halfway through the book. I really enjoyed seeing everything through Christoper's eyes and how the world relates to him. However, after the reveal, it turns into a family drama. It completely lost me at that point. Due to the way it is written, I was not able to connect to the situations or issues and it just fell flat at that point.
I gave it 2 stars because I did genuinely enjoy the first half of the book.
This is a story about the weirdness of the world as understood by Christopher John Francis Boone, a boy with autism who lives with his father in a small town in the UK. Christopher and his idiosyncrasies are instantly lovable. Through the eyes of a boy who thinks of everyone as different from himself, we’re reminded just how many common threads bind us all together.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is a most curious and peculiar novel. Quirky. I hesitate to say it is a fun read, because some of the issues explored are difficult. I recommend this as an interesting and unique read, well worth the time.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”
Weird confession. I like prime numbers. They make sense to me. I'm a tiny bit like Christopher, and I think that's why I love this book so much. On each re-read, I find something new to love.
What's it all about? It's an interesting perspective into the mind of a boy who is autistic, intelligent in many ways, but still immature to the ways of the world.
Journey with Christopher as he solves the mystery of his neighbor's dog. Travel with him as he strikes out on his own to discover what happened to Wellington, and why. Like me, you might be surprised by the ending. Christopher …
“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”
Weird confession. I like prime numbers. They make sense to me. I'm a tiny bit like Christopher, and I think that's why I love this book so much. On each re-read, I find something new to love.
What's it all about? It's an interesting perspective into the mind of a boy who is autistic, intelligent in many ways, but still immature to the ways of the world.
Journey with Christopher as he solves the mystery of his neighbor's dog. Travel with him as he strikes out on his own to discover what happened to Wellington, and why. Like me, you might be surprised by the ending. Christopher doesn't necessarily get the answers he wants, but instead gets a lesson in life.
I really enjoyed the different narrator voice from Christopher. I didn't find it gimmicky like some readers, instead I found it to be a delightful journey. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Written from the 1st person perspective of a boy with an Asperger's-like mind, though it feels less affecting than "Flowers for Algernon," because no matter how bad things get, there's a wall between the emotions of the boy and the reader. There's a wall between the emotions of the boy and the world, and his mind compulsively grasps for explanations of what's happening around him and why people say odd things to him.
The reader has to make their own sense of his world as related by his solipsistic view of it, and so develops a kindly condescension for him. I think the value of this book, aside from being a well-structured and enjoyable story, is that it helps the reader gain some compassion for the irrationality of others who process information differently and live in their own world.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The brain is interesting, no? Haddon captured how certain kind of brain works, that produces interesting point of view and experience narrated by the protagonist of this book. But this book can be boring to those who underappreciated the variety of mind.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I loved much of this book, especially the fresh and innovative perspective offered by the neurodivergent narrator. I feel like the end of the novel was rushed, but overall it does not leave me wanting more.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Short and sweet, this book lets you take a peek into the mind of an autistic boy as he tries to solve the mysterious murder of his neighbour's dog. The investigation leads him to much deeper discoveries about his family and his own life. It is a fun, simple read, and even though the story in itself is pretty mundane and unremarkable, where this book shines is in the voice of the narrator. The way the book is written allows you to become, if only briefly, Christopher Boone, the mathematical genius who hates yellow and brown things. This is the first time I really feel such a compassionate and empathetic view of autism. It is a humanizing book, whose virtue is to allow us, the uninitiated common folk into the world of the people with this mental capacity (or discapacity, depending on how you see it). It is also funny …
Short and sweet, this book lets you take a peek into the mind of an autistic boy as he tries to solve the mysterious murder of his neighbour's dog. The investigation leads him to much deeper discoveries about his family and his own life. It is a fun, simple read, and even though the story in itself is pretty mundane and unremarkable, where this book shines is in the voice of the narrator. The way the book is written allows you to become, if only briefly, Christopher Boone, the mathematical genius who hates yellow and brown things. This is the first time I really feel such a compassionate and empathetic view of autism. It is a humanizing book, whose virtue is to allow us, the uninitiated common folk into the world of the people with this mental capacity (or discapacity, depending on how you see it). It is also funny and lighthearted, and written in a very straightforward and direct style. Very fun read which I would recommend to anyone curious about autism, dead dogs and mystery solving.
Review of 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
As a character piece, this is alright! It seems to believe it has something to say about autism generally though, and taken as such presents a pretty bad stereotype, not unlike a literary Rain Man.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
As a character piece, this is alright! It seems to believe it has something to say about autism generally though, and taken as such presents a pretty bad stereotype, not unlike a literary Rain Man.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I have a personal soft spot for this book since both seeing the play and using it as my senior thesis subject (ugh!). For all the times that I've combed over this, it's never gotten boring. If anything, I've only found the book more and more interesting as more critical readings have come out.
Its has its flaws, believe me. I can totally understand how people can not like this book. I can't help but overlook them.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”
Weird confession. I like prime numbers. They make sense to me. I'm a tiny bit like Christopher, and I think that's why I love this book so much.
What's it all about? It's an interesting perspective into the mind of a boy who is autistic, intelligent in many ways, but still immature to the ways of the world.
Journey with Christopher as he solves the mystery of his neighbor's dog. Travel with him as he strikes out on his own to discover what happened to Wellington, and why. Like me, you might be surprised by the ending. Christopher doesn't necessarily get the answers he wants, but instead …
“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”
Weird confession. I like prime numbers. They make sense to me. I'm a tiny bit like Christopher, and I think that's why I love this book so much.
What's it all about? It's an interesting perspective into the mind of a boy who is autistic, intelligent in many ways, but still immature to the ways of the world.
Journey with Christopher as he solves the mystery of his neighbor's dog. Travel with him as he strikes out on his own to discover what happened to Wellington, and why. Like me, you might be surprised by the ending. Christopher doesn't necessarily get the answers he wants, but instead gets a lesson in life.
I really enjoyed the different narrator voice from Christopher. I didn't find it gimmicky like some readers, instead I found it to be a delightful journey. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
