Paperback, 226 pages
English language
Published May 17, 2004 by Vintage Contemporaries.
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.
This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.
I was surprised at how upsetting this book was - not because of the narrator’s perspective and logic, but because of how awful most of the people around him were. And of course no one is perfect, but… i hate that i still have to be grateful that his parents love him and want him. I want so much more for him.
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.
Long version: jdaymude.github.io/review/book-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-nighttime/
I have mixed feelings about the representation of autism, but I guess it makes sense as it’s a young adult book. It clearly has good intentions, I just found it very stereotypical and quite tiresome.
Great story. Really gets inside the head of this fictional autistic child. I can't believe how much I related to how he thinks.
Certainly allows you to experience a different viewpoint on the world and how messy it is.
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.
“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.
This is a terribly sad book. [prtf]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
