Rating: 
Summary: Just the Facts
Review: When fifteen year old Christopher Boone is accused of murdering his neighbor's dog, Wellington, he decides to find the real killer himself and write a mystery novel about it. While this might not seem to be a good premise for an engrossing story, when you consider the fact that Christopher, the narrator, is autistic, it becomes very interesting.Because of Christopher's autism, he can describe emotion, but he can't feel it himself. Although he can't feel sadness at Wellington's death (or anger at being falsely accused), he does know that "something's wrong" with the situation. Making use of an autistic narrator might have come off as "just another gimmick" in the hands of an author less skilled, but Mark Haddon uses Christopher's lack of emotion in such a skillful way that THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is truly engaging, poignant and even, at times, quite funny. Although autistic and unable to understand the complex world of emotions, Christopher is a brilliant student of mathematics and logic, both of which he does understand very well. In fact, the only "gimmick" in this book might be one having to do with mathematics: that of assigning prime numbers to all the chapters rather than numbering them sequentially, but that's such a quibble it's barely worth mentioning. Christopher's sleuthing is extremely thorough and, surprisingly, we do end up with a very emotional book. We get to experience the emotions of those around Christopher, filtered through Christopher's detached point of view. As the novel progresses, we care less and less about who killed Wellington (although we do learn the answer to that question) and more and more about Christopher and his family. Christopher provides us with all the facts but the narrative is filled with holes and spaces and the reader must do the interpreting. To his enormous credit, Haddon hasn't "romanticized" or "sentimentalized" Christopher. He's created a fully fleshed out human being and he hasn't tried to conceal the "obnoxious" side of autism. Christopher is often "difficult," to say the least, but we don't dislike him for it because we understand him; we know him and we know why he does the things he does. I learned more about autism from this novel than from any "informative" non-fiction article I've ever read. With this book, Mark Haddon pulled off what many "seasoned" writers fail to do. He has given us an engrossing and supremely honest book and he made us care about the narrator without ever slipping into the maudlin. That said, I have to add that I really didn't enjoy reading the book, but even though I didn't enjoy it (simply because of personal preferences), I can be objective and I can be fair. I think there will be quite a few readers who don't "enjoy" this book. I just hope they can recognize the artistry and masterful skill with which it was written.
Rating:
Summary: GENIUS AT PLAY
Review: THE AUTHOR USES HIS PRIME CHARACTER, AN AUTISTIC CHILD WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS, & MUCH MORE, TO ADVISE THE READER FROM THE START, THAT HE (THE AUTISTIC CHILD) IS THE ONE WHO IS WRITING THE BOOK (SUPPOSIDLY A MYSTERY,BUT NOT REALLY). I THOUGHT THAT ALONE WAS A BRILLANT CONCEPT, BUT IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING.
WHILE THE TEXT IS WRITTEN AS YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM AN AUTISTIC CHILD,IT'S ABILITY TO EXPLAIN TO THE READER EMOTIONAL & OBJECTIVE MATTERS, WHILE STAYING ON PLOT, & KEEPING THE READER ENTRANCED, IS AWESOME.
THE STORY LINE, ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND HOW INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT, CLEAR MINDED, & ANALYTICAL AUTISTIC CHILDREN CAN BE, WHILE AT OTHER TIMES SHOWING US (WITHIN THE STORY LINE) THE INHERENT PROBLEMS OF AUTISM, INCLUDING CONFUSION, FRAILTY, & FEAR.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO ANY WRITING, BE SURE TO NOTE THE MANY DEAD-ON, 100% CORRECT "GOOD WRITING" TIPS THAT THE CHILD MENTIONS.
THIS IS THE TYPE OF BOOK THAT NEEDS, AND HAS OBVIOUSLY GOTTEN, EXCELLENT "WORD OF MOUTH." WITHOUT SAME, I DON'T THINK VERY MANY PEOPLE WOULD BUY IT. EVEN MARVELOUS BOOK REVIEWS WON'T DO IT JUSTICE. THE REASON IS THAT IT'S HARD TO VERBALIZE IT'S WONDERS. SOMEONE YOU KNOW & WHO'S TASTE YOU TRUST, HAS TO TELL YOU, "DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, GET THE BOOK & READ IT - IT'S A WINNER."
Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable (thumbs up)
Review: Prior to reading this book, I knew little about autism but I have seen such children and their behavior before... which makes it easier to relate to the book. I must say, the book is a delight! It's different, light and interesting because its evolving around a boy who's not our usual Tim or Jim in high school..started with an unusual dog murder..very interesting ideas really! Good book! I just kept reading it non-stop!!I love the book and I definitely recommend it.By the way, the hardcover was worth it. Nice :) Enjoy the book!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Mark Haddon's debut takes the form of this startling fresh and new book that is destined to climb higher and higher on the bestseller lists as the months pass. Reminiscent of THE LIFE OF PI or McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, the point of view and telling of the story is similar and equally as unique. But what is so amazing about this book is the way the author handles his material, for some of the ideas and scenes in any other author's hands could easily turn grotesque and off-putting. Not so with THE CURIOUS INCIDENT. Well-paced, with excellent characterizations and food for thought like nothing else out there, this is the top of the list in my opinion. Would also recommend THE SLEEPING FATHER and THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed. It's not a mystery novel at all!
Review: I would not recommend this book to anyone not because it is a bad novel. It isn't. It reads well. The concept is interesting: narrating the novel through the POV of an autistic boy. The chapters are cleverly numbered by prime numbers, which ties in with the novel. It has interesting illustrations and diagrams to look at. However, I would not recommend this because it disappointed me and I couldn't, in good conscience, tell anyone to read a book I was disappointed in. I guess my disappointment lies in the fact that not only did my book club tout this as a mystery novel but also many of the literary reviews I read as well. What I was expecting was an exciting roller coaster ride mystery about an autistic boy trying to find the killer of his neighbor's dog and, as he slowly sleuths out the killer, finds himself embroiled in dangerous life threatening situations. Kind of like Tartt's The Little Friend told from an autistic POV. However, The Curious Incident... is not a mystery in any way, shape or form and because of this, the autistic POV begins to wear thin by the second half of the novel remaining sometimes fascinating yet sometimes tedious. Instead, you get a novel that starts off as a promising murder mystery. At the first half of the novel, the mystery is solved. Or rather we're unceremoniously told who is the murderer of the dog. From that point, the second half of the novel hugely focuses on Christopher attempting to travel to London by himself. A difficult task considering Christopher is autistic, hates crowds and can't stand to be touched by people. I won't tell who the murderer is or why Christopher takes off to London, as these are the only two real surprises of the novel. I will say overall this was a huge disappointment to me. I thought I was getting an exciting murder mystery and instead I got a highly readable family melodrama. Perhaps if this was not pushed as a murder mystery I would have enjoyed it much more. An interesting read but I wouldn't recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Crafted
Review: The story line of this novel would struggle to get to four stars on its own. This is a five star book because of the writing. Never have I read a book such as this where the writing was crafted so that it became such an integral part of the telling and the novel. The plot is rather simple. Christopher, the narrator, is an autistic teenager. He finds a dog that has been murdered and decides to solve the crime. From there the novel moves into a family in crisis. Christopher is told his mother has died, only to find that is not the case. Eventually he travels on his own to London - quite a feat for him. What separates this book from the norm, though is how the author uses his writing - the telling - of the story to assist in the telling. An example is in order. At one point, Christopher is in atrain station in London. This is a boy who hates crowds, strange places, strangers, new details in his surroundings, etc. Not surprisingly, he is on the verge of panic while trying to stay sane, no less get out of the station somehow. While reading, I came to a point where I said to myself: "Whoa! Slow down! This is too much..." At that point I realized that that was a taste of what an autistic person goes through when he is unable to process all the stimulation he is getting. This is what I mean by the writing was an integral part of the telling of the story. It helped craft the story. The pace and manner put the reader in the autistic's mind for short moment. I do not know if there is a better way to create a better empathy with an autistic person. In this way this book is pure genius. The novel also shows the pressures put on a family attempting to raise an autistic child. In this case, it pulls the family asunder, adding more conflict to the story line. I strongly recommend this book. It gives a revealing view of autism as well as being entertaining. This is not a "cause" book, but one that reveals autism while it entertains.
Rating:
Summary: Crafted So Well
Review: The actual story line of this book is worth something less than four stars - so why 5 stars? It is five stars because of the way the author crafted the book. I have never read a book where the writing itself was a major component of the story. Written in the first-person narrative, Christopher, the narrator is an autistic teenager. The story is a fairly simple one. He finds a neighbor's dog murdered, sets out to solve the crime and ends up travelling from his home to London on his own to find his mother. His mother could not handle the pressure of raising an autistic child and the relationships among father, son and mother surpass teh murdered dog as the theme of the plot. The simple story is imbued with Christopher's considerable difficulties in dealing with the world as an autistic person. The author has crafted the pressures from which he suffers - the near impossiblity of processing much of the stimuli of the world - into the telling of the story. One truly begins to understand and sympathize with the difficulties of autism. An example is in order. At one point, Christopher is in a London train station. This is a boy who can not stand strange places, crowded places, strange people, being touched, etc. As I read, the pace and the panic became real. I said to myself: "Whoa! Slow down! This is way too..." and it dawned on me. The author had crafted the thought processes of the autistic into the telling. Where I felt I had to slow the reading of the scene because of the unrelenting pressure - Christopher would have been suffering on a much greater scale in living the scene and been unable to slow it down by looking up from a page. This is what I mean by the author "crafting" the book. Much of the tension and conflict of the book was in the way the story was told - the story of an autistic boy's life and the tensions raising him brings on to his family. I strongly recommend this book for all it says about autism as well as a thoroughly entertaining exercise where the reading is half the story.
Rating:
Summary: There's just no way to describe how utterly cool this book
Review: is. I left it, lent by a sister, for weeks, because she told me it was a story from the viewpoint of an autistic kid. I thought: melodrama, angst, meaningful ad nauseum. Instead, it was just flipping wonderful, took my view of reality and flipped it right on it's head. Really opened my eyes in a very fine way. Almost made me feel like being a little kid, again, the way you saw the grown up world so differently. Wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Exotic, eclectic, quixotic, brilliant
Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon is one of the most unique books I have ever read. Essentially it is the "journal" of Christopher John Francis Boone, an autistic 15 year old English schoolboy. One evening he finds a neighbors dog dead, the poor animal having been impaled by a garden pitchfork. Initially Christopher is presumed to be the perpetrator of the crime. It turns out he is, in fact innocent. Christopher resolves to find the actual perpetrator over the objections of nearly everyone about him-except for his school counselor who urges him to go ahead and keep a journal of his discoveries-the text of this book. To call the book quixotic is an understatement. It reflects the internal schizoid aspects and contradictions of Christopher's mind. He is a brilliant mathematician yet ignorant of the most mundane human emotions. The dissonance extends to even the numbering of the chapters, which are successive prime numbers. This stands as the best window into the aspects of a disease since I read Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn (featuring Tourette's Syndrome). To read this book is in a very real sense to experience autism. The unique worldview, the idiosyncratic behaviors, the fears, frustrations, misunderstandings of the wider world and withdrawal into the self of the autistic personality are all there. This is accomplished not just through effective writing but also through unique us of fonts and graphics in some cases. The book also effectively describes the arc of frustration, exhaustion, fear and anguish that goes along with being close to one with autism. The story is marked by interesting turns and twists that keep one involved. Haddon has a somewhat distanced yet assessable writing style that provides a distinctly-though not overbearing-English voice to the proceedings. This is an ambitious and accomplished novel. It's amazing that it is the product of a first time author. It is a fascinating, absorbing, brilliant romp of a book that I appropriate for readers of nearly all ages. Truly a Five Star effort!
Rating:
Summary: An Odd Reality
Review: There is a reality to "The Curious Incident of Dog in Night-Time." It is a pseudo-mystery from the prospective of a semi-autistic child. The plot is brilliant but so perfectly set to fall victim to over sentimentalizing or unintentional humor. Yet Mark Haddon brilliantly avoids those pitfalls with the same panache that Rikki Lee Travolta's "My Fractured Life" and Sue Monk Kidd's "Secret Life of Bees" avoid being parodies of their own worlds. Somehow Haddon creates a real world with his words and maintains it faithfully to rival "My Fractured Life" and "Secret Life of Bees" both. A stellar book.
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