The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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Summary: Haddon got it "spot on," as the British would say.
Review: I liked this book a lot, for the most part, but found it a bit long toward the end. That sounds strange, when you consider how short the book really is, but it's kind of like a movie in which one theme informs everything else. What was that movie with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwartzenegger? "Twins"? I mean, that was the whole gag, that the two guys were so incredibly disparate yet were supposed to be twins. After awhile, even if you find the gag funny at first, you're bound to get tired of it eventually.

Don't get me wrong. I think Haddon did an absolutely incredible job of capturing the world and mindset of a type of autistic child. Having done that, however, as long as he stayed true to the character, there couldn't be any growth or change in Christopher's ability to discern emotions and learn from his mistaken impressions. In fact, he would never be able to see them as mistaken.

Still, the book was a good read, really different, and a fantastic accomplishment. But what does the author do for an encore? It'll be interesting to see.

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Summary: Fascinating story told from a different perspective...
Review: It's pretty well known that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the story of an 15 year old autistic boy seeking to solve the "mystery" of who has murdered the beloved dog of a neighbor.

What is not as well known and something you should consider as you begin to read is that this book is told from the perspective of the 15-year-old child, not a neutral narrator. It is the main character of the novel that is telling you his story. At first it may be difficult to get into the flow of the story because you must first become used to the fact that the narration is firstly very detailed and logical, and secondly very prone to going off on tangents that have little to do with the main plot of the book.

However, it is this different style of writing that gives the book its authenticity and makes it a joy to read. The author himself is not autistic, but he captures both the patterns of logical and detail-oriented thinking, as well as the random tangents into comfortable territory (for the child), and gives the reader the feel that they are being told the story first hand.

Not only does the story present a very interesting plot with twists and turns and unexpected results, but it also educates us as to just how brilliant are the minds and touching are the lives of autistic people.

If you enjoy easy to read fiction that can both educate and entertain simultaneously, the you will like this book. Give yourself time to adjust to the different story-telling method and you'll feel great about the experience.

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Summary: Autistic 15yo masquerades as Sherlock Holmes
Review: When autistic 15-year-old Christopher Boone is wrongly accused of killing a frikkin' poodle, he decides to employ techniques of Sherlock Holmes' to track down the killer himself. In the process, difficult for anyone, but imagine trying to do it when you're autistic, he finds it necessary to navigate the emotional complexities of a social world that requires what must feel to him like swimming in molasses. From this improbable and potentially confusing premise comes a completely original work in a unique and compelling literary voice.
Watch for this Mark Haddon guy; he's going places.

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Summary: Insightful
Review: Knowing some autistic people myself this book gave me a greater insight in to how their minds work. It also has great points of humor.

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Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: Read the book cover to cover in one sitting. Couldn't put it down! Wonderful ending

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Summary: Bravo
Review: Mark expertly leads us on a tour inside the mind of a fascinating (implied) autistic boy. He pulls you in with the first paragraph and doesn't let you go until the last sentence.
Lessons in frustration, anger, separation, naivete, understanding, misunderstanding and so much more are interwoven within each page.
Thank you, Mark, for writing such a powerful book.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: That book is the tale of a young boy, Christopher who suffers Dawn syndrome. I heard somebody talking about the story telled in this book is false as Asprenger syndrom doesn't produce such behaviour as the ones described in the book. But I think that's not the point. Mark Haddon gives us the portrayal of a "not normal" boy, of his ideas and links and connections he makes among them. The author writed the book as though it is written by Christopher. He tells about him discovering his courage by making a journey we would say incredibly easy, but wich is incredibly hard and scary for him.
I definetly suggest this book to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I hardly ever recommend a modern novel to everybody, preferring to stay in the realms of 'classic' fiction, but I can unequivocally say that everybody should read this novel. It showed me that autistic people have much in common with "normal" people, and that they might be more normal than us. I was moved by this book: the autistic boy's observations of the world around him, untainted by cynicism, were like looking in a mirror for the first time and seeing that, no, all is not well with the world. Even so, the book is not depressing; rather, it is revelatory; nor is it preachy for the cause of autism. By showing that autism is a human condition, Mr. Haddon has done the human condition a favor.

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Summary: Unlike any other...
Review: Wonderful reading experience. Unlike any other book that I have ever read (probably the closest is "Flowers for Algernon") At the beginning of the book, Christopher, the fifteen year old narrator states that "This is a murder mystery", and he is going to be detective, investigating who killed his neighbor's poodle, Wellington. While he is trying to solve the mystery he uncovers many other secrets about his family. Haddon's use of pictures, charts, and graphs really help the reader understand and see through the eyes of Christopher, who has Asperger's disorder or autism (it is never clearly stated). The reader really sympathizes with Christopher's parents and all of the idiosyncracies he has: He hates the colors yellow and brown and will not eat any food that color, or wear any clothes with them; he has a fear of people touching him, and often screams when someone lightly brushes him. There are many other instances in the book where the reader sees that Christopher does love his parents, but he cannot show them because he does not know how to express emotions.

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Summary: Wonderful and Compelling Book!
Review: Haddon is a subtle and sensitive writer, leaving it to us to draw the conclusions that Christopher can't. His precise and careful prose reveal just enough to keep us a step ahead of Christopher - and give us an ominous sense of dark relevations waiting in the wings - while retaining a suspenseful mood throughout the narrative. In the end, though, the only mystery here is one that's beyond Christopher's, or anyone's, power to solve: how people can be so brutal, violent, and cruel to each other in the name of love. Also recommended: [e-mail] BY TOM GRIMES, THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez