I don't pay attention to book reviews, and I don't much pay attention to what's on the best seller lists. This book was in the cheap bin at B&N, so I parted with a few hard-earned bucks and took it home. I never heard of it, and I never heard of the author. Yeah, yeah, I'm not in the know. Whatever.

The first half of this book was so different, I couldn't put it down. I have no first-hand experience with people who have autism, so I can't vouch for its authenticity on that point. That said, seeing the world through an autistic boy's eyes was remarkable. The author did a great job of making me see the world in new and uncomfortable ways. With each chapter, I become more aware of a world beyond my American suburbia, and I don't simply mean physical settings. I've travelled a lot in my life, but I've rarely stopped to truly and earnestly consider life from a totally different point of view. This book helped, and made, me do that.

Good premise notwithstanding, what turned me off was the frequent digs at religion. After a little research, I learned the author is atheist to the core. That's fine, and he can write whatever he chooses. And he should. I was disappointed, however, to see his views expressed in such a cop-out manner. The author uses this young autistic boy as a puppet to express his views on God, religion, and how absurd it all is. That's the theme of the book, and that turned me off. I've got no problem with anyone's point of view, just don't con your readers into thinking they are getting a good story about something different. Write an op-ed piece or something.

Religion issues aside, the story, as some reviewers noted, wore thin about the halfway point. The whole last section felt bloated and tired. I was glad to be finished as the novelty of the book faded and left me feeling irritated and a little bored.

As the father of an autistic child, I completely got into this book, and finished in a couple of hours. I can relate to the protagonist completely since it is written from his point of view. The author is very skilled in showing how disparate the inside and outside world are from the perspective of an autistic mind. The book is funny, and sad at the same time. It can be ironic, and illustrative at the same time. I think everyone will enjoy this amazing literary piece.

This book is not original. It is not particularily moving. It is not innovative, and it is most certainly not thought-provoking. The New York Time's glowing review compares it to "The Sound and the Fury," but where Faulkner's masterpiece uses mental disability to comment on the Southern lifestyle and the human condition, Haddon's novel merely declares the typical message that "being autistic is tough, but in the end things can turn out okay." When I finished this book, I didn't have to sit and think about it; it had little more heft than a typical Mitch Albom story. In addition to its thematic mundanity, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" overuses its quirky devices, contradicts its narrative style, ruins the plot of "The Hound of the Baskerviles," and inaccurately explains the Monty Hall Problem. Literature is all but dead, and praise of books like this is dragging it even further away from redemption.

I have never read anything that even remotely resembles this novel, it is so unique and cleverly written from the first person perspective of a boy with some type of autism. Christopher Boone goes to a special school, doesn't understand basic figures of speech or facial expressions, but is gifted with a genius skill at math. When his neighbor's poodle is found murdered by pitchfork one morning, Chris is almost blamed for the crime and decides to find out who the real dog killer is.

I flew through this book in less than 24 hours because it was just that good of a read.

This book is a great little summer read with an interesting plot line. But what I liked most is that it really provided an insightful look into the world of an autistic child from their perspective.

This book is a great little summer read with an interesting plot line. But what I liked most is that it really provided an insightful look into the world of an autistic child from their perspective.

Most of the reviews here judge Haddon's book on the basis of what it "says" or shows about autism (or asperger's syndrome), as if it were educational fiction. That doesn't seem the most pertinent criterion to judge fiction to me.

"The Curious Incident" is a magnificent book for several reasons.

1. It is a masterful story. The couple of "grand revelations" about Christopher's life are shocking and at the same time entirely believable - and they make the story move. I agree with one of the other reviewers that the ending is somewhat arbitrary, but again it's totally believable. The characters became more and more dense for me while I was reading, so as a story it's not an intellectual exercise.

2. This novel is so packed with suspense that it reads like a genuine thriller. I'm not going to reveal anything that happens, and you shouldn't be misled by the word "thriller" (no serial killers or zombies in this one). But just the description of a simple train ride through Christopher's (autistic) eyes is one of the most suspenseful passages I've read in a long while. I read this book in one sitting and at every page I wanted to know what would happen on the next one.

3. It's terribly funny. Christopher has a way of looking at things that is perfectly logical in one way and unsettling in another. His dead pan remarks often made me laugh out loud. His way of introducing elements that are irrelevant for us but entirely to the point from his own perspective ("this is another description because Siobhan [his teacher] said I should do descriptions [in the book he's writing]."), up to and including mathematical problems (formulas included), adds to the fun and the surprises.

4. It's moving. Here's this 15 year old kid, trying to understand the world, to be a good kid, to come to grips with some pretty awful things that happen to him, and doing all this with a strength, a morality and a logic he seems to find entirely within himself. As a reader you constantly shift between feelings of admiration and of compassion, and if you don't have wet eyes when, almost at the end, Christopher narrates his favorite dream, you'll probably never cry when reading a book. Still, it's not a sentimental book at all: see points 1 to 3.

And lest I forget: for the first time ever, after so many newspaper articles and explanations, I do feel I've understood a little bit about autism too.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time and it is one I would have everyone read, if I could. It isn't so much that I "learned" about autism or Aspergers from it but the author's remarkable ability to capture the voice of this troubled but brilliant young man let me into his life as nothing else could. I became his advocate and cheered at his successes. I couldn't help but think how much more thoroughly he carried a thought through than I do and that was part of his problem. He was way ahead of the rest of us and I can now understand how painful his life could be. Yet the book was never heavy or sentimental. In fact, it was quite light-hearted in a way. To be able to write like that is truly a gift.

This book transports you into the mindset of a very different young teenage boy and chronicles his reaction to a whole set of slightly exaggerated, droll, and not entirely unbelievable circumstances--among them the murder of a dog, his mother's illicit affair, the breakup of his parent's marriage, the very much challenged father, the fight over custody--all in a distinctly English working class setting.

Some reviewers have insisted that the author, in the guise of the boy as narrator/protagonist, would appear to minimize or otherwise distort the burden of Asperger's syndrome (as the book jacket describes his condition) or, perhaps more accurately, autism. That may well be the case. Perhaps, for example, it would be exceedingly rare for someone in this boy's condition to be so mathematically gifted or inclined. But this is fiction, afterall, and not a medical journal. The book is wonderfully written, original, and very moving in its exploration of the nature of family and human relationships. I heartily recommend the book and most especially its reader in the audio version.

Short story and actually rather simple. But it isn't the plot that keeps you reading this in one go. It is the perspective. Haddon presents us the observations and thinking of an autistic 15 year old. Love it!

This book is a book that all teachers should read! Really lets you look into the mind of an autistic child. I could see some of my previous students and now understand better why they were the way they were.

Who killed the neighbor's dog? Although the answer comes even faster than the fairly short book's end, this dialogue of a 15 year old autistic savant quickly reveals itself not to be much of a mystery at all, but an astute portrait of daily living within the autism spectrum. While I can vouch for the high degree of verisimilitude Haddon employs in translating common elements of the diagnosis into Christopher's character, having myself worked with autistic/Asperser's students, I feel this book's greatest success lies in it's ability to stimulate empathy through contrast between his highly functioning cognitive mind, and the distant, disconnected world of human behavior it portrays.

Although such accuracy of character within the spectrum makes for a unique and often charming narrative, the story itself seems to suffer as Christopher is never able to fully consider and render some of the larger issues at hand- his parents divorce, the significance and outcome of his parents mistakes, a deeper understanding of his own diagnosis, etc. I feel the story's perspective is perhaps the novel's focus, rather than actual storyline, and found this at times to detract from the quality of reading, especially toward the novel's somewhat arbitrary conclusion. While I would recommend this book given it's value within very few pages, I feel it only goes so far within the genre of mystery.

Who killed the neighbor's dog? Although the answer comes even faster than the fairly short book's end, this dialogue of a 15 year old autistic savant quickly reveals itself not to be much of a mystery at all, but an astute portrait of daily living within the autism spectrum. While I can vouch for the high degree of verisimilitude Haddon employs in translating common elements of the diagnosis into Christopher's character, having myself worked with autistic/Asperser's students, I feel this book's greatest success lies in it's ability to stimulate empathy through contrast between his highly functioning cognitive mind, and the distant, disconnected world of human behavior it portrays.

Although such accuracy of character within the spectrum makes for a unique and often charming narrative, the story itself seems to suffer as Christopher is never able to fully consider and render some of the larger issues at hand- his parents divorce, the significance and outcome of his parents mistakes, a deeper understanding of his own diagnosis, etc. I feel the story's perspective is perhaps the novel's focus, rather than actual storyline, and found this at times to detract from the quality of reading, especially toward the novel's somewhat arbitrary conclusion. While I would recommend this book given it's value within very few pages, I feel it only goes so far within the genre of mystery.

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time is a much-needed window into the world of autism. While I find this book informative and intriguing, I would not recommend it to someone who is not familiar with autism without additional information. That said, I think it does an excellent job of demonstrating the potential thought processes and emotional interaction (or lack thereof) of an autistic individual.

Many things that bother Christopher would not bother an average teenager, but Christopher shrugs off or fails to notice things that many teenagers would find crippling. Christopher's depiction of events is striking, as he chooses to include details like "approximately 60 holes in her shoes," but leaves out all emotion past happy, sad, good day, black day and feeling sick. He responds physically, vomiting and with pain in his head when something should greatly upset him emotionally. Although author Mark Haddon is not autistic, his writing demonstrates his careful observation of common characteristics of individuals with autism.

The real strength of this book is that is shows Christopher facing challenges and growing as an individual despite his very real struggles that he has to confront as a result of his condition. When Christopher decides to leave his father's house and go to London to locate his mother, he finds creative ways to cope, from hiding in the bathroom on the tube, to putting his hands over his ears "to block out the noise and think" (Haddon, p. 145). Christopher demonstrates he has learned how to be successful working with what he has when he finally finds his mother.

One thing that concerns me about this book if using it as a source about autism is, that it portrays an atypical autistic individual. Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, and is not severely impaired as many children. Plus, most autistic children are not exceptionally gifted in math. However, this book does raise the intriguing situation of a student who is twice exceptional: possessing gifts and talents as well as a learning disability.

As a new teacher, I anticipate having a student like Christopher in my classroom at some point. While this book is an incomplete source on autism, it provides insight into how an autistic individual may interact and react to the world, and is definitely worth reading.

For further information about autism and twice exceptional students, visit the following links:
http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/?main=fa/autism-class2
http://www.uniquelygifted.org/
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by author Mark Haddon, is the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, a fifteen-year-old boy who discovers his neighbor's dog dead and sets about to solve the mystery of who killed it, making many other discoveries along the way. In this book, readers are treated to a unique voice, not only in literature, but in life, as Christopher is developmentally disabled. He doesn't like other people and he doesn't like being touched; as a result, when confused or angry, he often screams, groans, or physically attacks others. In giving Christopher a voice, Haddon succeeds in showing us Christopher's humanity but ultimately falls short in fleshing him out as a character.

For many of us, seeing kids like Christopher can be a frightening experience. They can't communicate with us and often engage in behavior that seems unfamiliar, if not frightening. Over the course of the book, Christopher runs into many others who cast him as an outsider, if not an animal. As he goes to school, he is mocked: "[S]ometimes the children from the school down the road see us in the street when we're getting off the bus and they shout, 'Special Needs! Special Needs!'" Usually, Christopher is either at his school or with his family, so he does not engage with the public, but over the course of his journey to London, as he is forced to interact with others to figure out the train system, again Christopher's role as an outcast is clear, as people on the train term him a "train elf" and wonder whether they "should feed him some nuts." After he has an episode, he is left to sit on his bench in the train station alone, with nobody wanting to even be near him.

However, because we are allowed inside Christopher's mind, we can see that he is not an elf or a freak. In describing one of his episodes, Christopher says, "I felt giddy. It was like the room was swinging from side to side, as if it was at the top of a really tall building and the building was swinging backward and forward in a strong wind . . . I rolled onto the bed and curled up in a ball." Hearing about Christopher's outbursts in his own voice, we feel compassion for his experience instead of fear. While obviously he is different from us - he can multiply 251 by 864 in his head, he counts prime numbers when he is upset, and he lacks imagination - he is also similar. Like us, Christopher feels happiness and sadness. He is happy when he can pretend he is the only person in the whole world and sad when he finds the dead dog. Also, Christopher, like the rest of us, has dreams: he is going to pass his A-levels, take more A-levels, go to the university, and become an astronaut. In fact, by the end of the book, after he has passed his A-levels and makes plans to take further A-levels and finishes his book about who has killed his neighbor's dog, he knows he "can do anything."

Learning about Christopher's point of view, readers see that he is a person like the rest of us, but unfortunately Christopher is never fully fleshed out as a character because none of the other characters in the book are allowed to share our perspective and see him as a person. While Christopher may not be able to show his love or attachment to others, we should still see evidence that others love and are attached to Christopher. Instead, we learn from Christopher about his troubles with his mom: "Mother had hit me sometimes because she was a very hot-tempered person." His mother explains to him, "I'm not like your father. Your father is a much more pacient [sic] person." Although his mother does not seem to be able to understand or cope with Christopher, his father is the one who cooks Christopher's meals, cleans his clothes, looks after him when he is sick, and worries about him when he wanders off. Ultimately, though, his father turns out to be the book's biggest disappointment. Even before his character is sacrificed for a plot point, Christopher's father doesn't seem to be the advocate that Christopher needs or deserves. When a friend of his father's, Rhodri, treats Christopher like a trained seal and asks him to multiply 251 times 864, Christopher says, "I don't like it when Rhodri laughs at me. Rhodri laughs at me a lot. Father says it is being friendly." Instead of defending his son, Christopher's father defends the man who mocks him. Moreover, at another point, in the middle of an argument which Christopher does not understand, his father asks him, "How stupid are you?" While it is clear that Christopher's father cares about him and loves him, it is also clear that he doesn't recognize what makes Christopher special - he loves him in spite of his differences, not because of them. Christopher's father, the one who cares for him and loves him more than anyone else, does not recognize his own son's humanity.

This problem - that we, as readers, can see Christopher as a person, but the other characters in the book don't - seems to be the author's way of saying that, even though we should recognize the mentally disabled as people with their own "voice," there is still in fact a barrier that makes communicating with them difficult. Because we are able to get inside Christopher's head, he does not seem so different from us; he is someone who can, to some extent, communicate with us, and someone we can learn from. But what about other mentally disabled people whose voices we don't have access to? In the classic book, "Flowers for Algernon," we come to like the disabled protagonist, Charley Gordon, not because he is similar to us, but because he is different. His differences are what make him special, and when he loses these differences, his character becomes almost unlikeable. In the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," however, we come to identify with Christopher because we can see that he shares some of our qualities - he is good at math, or he likes dogs, or his parents are having problems - and we choose to ignore his differences. He is not like the other people at his school - "All the other children at my school are stupid" - because he is going to pass his A-levels. In fact, the other "stupid" kids at his school are difficult to identify with - for example, Joseph Fleming, one of Christopher's classmates, who "eats everything," including "one of the little blocks of blue disinfectant which hang inside the toilets," "a 50 pound note from his mother's wallet," "string and rubber bands and tissues and writing paper and paints and plastic forks," and also "bangs his chin and screams a lot." Is this someone we can grow to like like Christopher or is this kid more like an "elf" or freak or someone we wouldn't want to sit near in the train station? In setting himself as different from this boy, Christopher in fact becomes "one of us" - someone who is not stupid and who can feel free to disregard the other people at his school. In truth, though, we probably shouldn't like Christopher for how he is one of us, but for his differences. In the end, a book like "Flowers for Algernon" makes a stronger point: we should not, as "Curious Incident" suggests, find the developmentally disabled tolerable because somewhere, somehow, they are like us, but instead we should recognize them for their differences, because that is what makes them special.

Alas, while fascinating to understand the perspective of a child with special needs, it's just not entertaining. Read this to be edified, and to be grateful to be who you are and capable of all you can do ... but do not read this book for entertainment.

Alas, while fascinating to understand the perspective of a child with special needs, it's just not entertaining. Read this to be edified, and to be grateful to be who you are and capable of all you can do ... but do not read this book for entertainment.

This book was recommended to me by a co worker and supervisor who both loved the book. While I know it's fiction, I really am bothered by a non- autistic person trying to write from the perspective of a child with Autism. This disorder is so unique to each child, I just think there are plenty of Autistic Adults who could write a novel and do a better job. I work daily with a student with autism and I know there are things that are sterotypical but I would just prefer to read something more 'realistic" that is also fiction. I get irritated when people throw their perceptions on special needs kids, when they are capable of telling you themselves....I am sure this is my issue...you may love the book as my supervisor and co-worker, also in the field and working with Autism daily did.
It is a difficult read I am half way through, can't seem to keep going but I am told it will get better as I go. There is a lot of cursing in the book as well as the child has no spiritual beliefs, which is something that also bugs me because every child I have worked with in the past 3 years has had some form of spirituality in their life.

This story, though not actually a mystery, captivated me from the very beginning. Seeing the world through Christopher's eyes is both entertaining and educational. I've never read anything like this before. It's both simple and complex at the same time. I'm suggesting this book for my book club. This is a great book for anyone thirteen and older (my estimate).

I was amazed to find that Haddon doesn't actually have Asperger's. His portrayal is spot on. A fascinating and accurate look into the thought processes and experiences of a person with Asperger's.

Stephanie Moulton Sarkis PhD NCC LMHC
Author and Psychotherapist, specializing in ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Told through the eyes of an autistic boy named Christopher, "The Curious Incident..." feels different than other fiction because of the fresh perspective. The events are mundane, but the narrator's interactions with others make for laugh-out-loud situations.

Christopher can often be maddening, and you empathize for the frustration in those around him. He is totally devoid of emotion or imagination. He's coldly logical and methodical, and has a tendency to sit for hours thinking through math problems. And he's focused like a laser-beam, to the point of being obsessive. He remembers anything. So, Christopher is basically a robot.

None of the characters are flat. His sweet father... with a violent-side. His loving mother, with her lack of morals and inability to deal with conflict.

The portrayal is blunt and doesn't pull punches. This book could have easily had a preachy theme about "autistics are great people once you get to know them..." but luckily it never devolves into that - Christopher's behavior is shown in all it's unpleasant glory. I liked it and would definitely recommend it. 3.5 stars

I recently read this book because the lower level English classes in my school (I'm in the smarter class) read this as an assignment and I was interested, as I have a friend with the condition (or whatever else you'd like to call it) otherwise known as autism, and he's normal compared to this kid! Still, this book was a very interesting read.

Christopher Boone, a 15 year old Brit, is pretty much a cripple - he has a severe adversion to 2 colours, is superstitious over seeing cars on the way to school to determine his luck, and throws all these random maths and science figures between the actual story. Imagine all the crap his dad has to put up with - it's all within the covers of this book.

Christopher has a mixed style of speaking - he calls people by their "formal names" (Mother and Father - hasn't he ever heard of Mum and Dad?) but often rambles in his sentences about meaningless things (though I liked his explanation on the door problem from game shows).

I'm not going to mention anything else, as pretty much all the other 1,576 (or thereabouts) reviewers have already explained it. So to sum up: Definitely not one of the best books I've read (I don't read much), but I'd recommend it for an out-of-the-ordinary read.

On a slightly-unrelated note, I wonder what Christopher would think of the South Park character Timmy? (He'd probably laugh at him because he's even more crippled than he is!)

I doubt my review will be worth anything, what with there being 1,400-plus reviews already. But I thought I should tell of my opinion seeing as I am mildly autistic myself, & have interacted with other autistic beings from all across the spectrum.

I'm sure you already know what this book is focused on: a 15-year-old boy named Christopher, plagued by a case of autism more severe than my own, & he plays the literal-minded narrator. Indeed the author pulls very hard to make Christopher sound like an authentic autistic person, & I can't say he failed. This story is more about him than the murdered dog, his family's turmoil, anything.
& yet I had a very hard time liking Christopher. His character never shines a single moment of empathy for others. Very bluntly he tells his audience of the people surrounding him, but his voice holds such devoid distance as if these people are hollow shells not quite alive. At one point in the story, a torn person pleas for Christopher to hold their hand... just this once, & Christopher refuses apathically.
I strongly dislike being touched, however I will suck it up & allow myself to be touched or even reach out to hug someone if I feel they truly need it.
As much as I know that these are the lines that separate the mild from the severe cases, it still remains hard for me to feel for Christopher knowing that he cannot feel for others beyond himself. (On another note, some people with autism are known to feel physical pain with skin to skin contact. Christopher never mentions such a thing, so it seems clear that he `feels' like me when it comes to touching.)

Despite this stoic nature, the story unfolds in such a way that others' emotions bleed through the pages via bits of dialog & in their simple actions. The situation is a tender one & very raw at its root.
At the same time I found the other characters unlikable as well. While it becomes lucid later, Christ's father seems to cage his son, banning his curiosity. In a turning point of the mystery behind Wellington the poodle's murder, something harsh is revealed about the father that places him in a very ugly light.

- - spoiler - -
As for Christopher's estranged mother, let me spell for you a summary of her explanation letters: `I'm so sorry I had to leave you Christopher, but you must understand that you are an unbearable child. I hated my life & it was all your fault.' Not to mention the fact that she flatly abandoned him in the first place.

But all this ugliness makes for a very raw & potent read. Each of these characters in their flaws feels very real.
& the simplistic, blunt writing style itself feels very fresh & novel.

I just wish people would stop saying `this book is an insight into the autistic mind.'
This book is an insight into ONE autistic mind. We are each very different people. Just from this review you should be able to understand that.

I enjoyed this book, and I appreciate that it was written from the perspective of an autistic child. If you are expecting a mystery, however, this is not one.

This book was interesting in how the mystery was spun out by living in another persons head for a while. I would like to have a classroom set of this book because it would be educational as far as being intrigued and appreciative of the different kinds of thinking, The math in the book was fun to see how it was used to calmed the main character Christopher. It was fun to see how confusing facial expressions could be to Christopher also.

It's fun when a book takes you to a different time or place, but this time it took me to a different brain and it was a nice journey.

Be careful! The emotional impact of this story sneaks up on you. Told from the point of view of 15-year-old, autistic Christopher Boone, Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time leads you to believe that it is going to be a mystery when Christopher decides to investigate the murder of his neighbor's dog, Wellington, who he finds dead with a pitchfork through his side. What happens beyond this plot point is an amazing study into the needs and struggles of those who suffer from "special needs" and their families.

I want to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book, but the surprise wasn't necessarily pleasant. Haddon has created an amazing book that has an unbelievable emotional pull that will leave you both shocked and sympathetic for the characters. It is a fast read, but very well crafted.

I felt the book, written journal-style, with a Flowers for Algernon tone, was a sweet and a quick read. It does get a bit wordy in a couple places, but it's towards the end and I felt safe skimming a couple sentences.

Christopher Boone likes night-time walks. On one of these walks, he discovers the body of his neighbor's dog pierced by a pitchfork. The death of the animal awakens Christopher's desire to investigate and solve the dog's hideous murder.
Christopher's detective work drums up some interesting leads, not only about the dog, but also about some mysteries in Christopher's own life. In the end, Christopher will have to choose between the family he knows and his need for knowing the truth about the incident of the dog in the night-time.
Mark Haddon's portrait of an autistic boy on a mission is well written, and perfectly told. The story, composed as a first-person narrative, expertly portrays the actions and mind set of a person living with autism.
Haddon's complex storytelling may confuse some readers, but it is essential to building the foundation of Christopher's character. It helps the reader to understand the thought patterns autistic people. Haddon does a wonderful job weaving the chapters to create a compelling and surprising read.

This book is a very easy read, as well as an emotional and mental thrill ride as the reader is taken into Christopher's autistic world.

I didn't know what to expect when I read Curious Incident. I am a special education teacher and am often skeptical when I see a main character with a disability. It is so difficult to represent a character with a disability that often times, the character is not portrayed in a realistic manner. I was especially skeptical when I read that the main character was Autistic. Being a spectrum disorder, Autism is a disability that is difficult to "stereotype". No two people with Autism are the same. They may share a few similar characteristics, but they are never the same. So, when I began reading Curious Incident, I was surprised at how realistically Christopher had been written. He had many typical characteristics of someone with Autism, but he was also different from anyone I had ever encountered. He had his own personality and he had his own stims (something of fixation for a person with Autism). Also, the way Mark Haddon wrote Christopher as a character who was very capable of managing on his own was great. Many times, characters with disabilities are dependent on other people in order to survive or live their day to day lives. Christopher, while unconventional, was more than capable of taking care of himself (and his father for that matter).

This was the first book of Haddon's that I had ever read. His writing is fluid and filled with detail. However, this story did not drag on but was quite to the point. Haddon wrote from Christopher's perspective, almost flawlessly. Haddon gave the rest of the world a very realistic peak into the world of a boy with Autism. This is a book that can be enjoyed by young readers, as well as seasoned readers.

The book is written from the eyes of an autistic child. I find it an innovative point of view, but it gets old quickly since he blabbers on about insignificant details. I understand this is probably how a real autistic person thinks, but maybe he could have skipped a lot of the rambling details and gave it mre of a story line.

This book was introduced to me by several close friends, all of which "highly recommended" this novel as a "must read". This novel is a quick read, however frustrating and lead to a general feeling of disappointment. It certainly offers a unique perspective, however, I found the writing did very little to hold my interest. Too often throughout the novel, Christopher (the main character), simply provides a monotonous accounts regarding the events taking place around him or the conversations he holds with others in a manner that becomes grueling as well as irritating to read. An example if I may... "And then I said, " "... and then father said. " "....and then I said, " "...and then father said, " "......blah blah blah. Sometimes for entire pages a conversation was accounted for in this manner. Similarly, the accounts of events taking place around him written in this fashion.

Granted, I do understand that Mark Haddon had all intentions of writing this novel from the perspective of a 15 year-old autistic child and that is what makes this book both unique and interesting to read to most others who have read this book. All in all, I feel that Mark Haddon had accomplished what he set out to do by writing in this style, however, it simply did not interest me the way it did others whom I've spoken to about this book. The happenings within this novel appeard contrived, developed slowly and eventually lead to nothing. Upon completing the novel I simply said to myself, "...and that's it?!?!"

Mark Haddon takes the reader into the mind of a person with autism. As a mother of a daughter with autism and working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders for 28+ years, he's right on in accurately conveying their view the world and the emotions and fears they encounter trying to function in our strange world. The character reminds me of a beloved young man, a student of mine, with asberger's syndrom. Best job in the world.
Loved the book, this was my third copy because I keep giving it away.

I bought this book because my son is autistic. In this work of fiction, the author did a wonderful job of combining plot with insight into how someone with autism copes with a complicated, noisy world that is almost impossible to understand. The plot is fast-paced, and the looks inside the mind of Christopher, the main character, are priceless.

Book Fair was too crowded, so I took a detour to Commercial Press where I could leisurely browse over many books. No surprises at the management book corner, but I got this new book at a discount.

This is supposed to be a novel, but the plot is not too complicated. It begins with the main character, Christopher Boone, finding a dog stabbed to death by a garden fork at night in the backyard garden of a neighbour. He played Sherlock Holmes and started to investigate the murder of the dog and went on to discover secrets about his family and experienced an adventure. I shall not tell the ending of the story in case some of you may wish to read this book yourselves.

The value of the book is not the story, but rather the writing style of the author in telling it. Christopher was actually an autistic 15 year old boy who had behavioral problem and attended Special Needs school. He possessed a gift of doing advanced mathematics in his mind, liked red and hated yellow to the extent of eating only red food. He lacked the ability of communicating with other people and lived in a mind of his own. The book was written with Christopher as the first person and he narrated through the book. The readers are actually reading the mind of this autistic child, experiencing how he thought and felt, what his fears were and what calmed him down.

There are some interesting behaviour of Christopher as portrayed by the author. Whenever Christopher came across a difficult word, he would announce the definition of the word openly, which was quite funny in the middle of a conversation. Other people would look at him and wonder why he was stating the obvious. The author skillfully describes how an autistic child reassured himself by repeating known facts and details.

Christopher was unable to distinguish a joke from fact. To him, everything said were taken by face value. As a result, he thought jokes were real and people were really doing such silly things. When he discovered that people did not mean what they said in a joke, he thought they were telling lies. I think the author is trying to use a metaphor to demonstrate the hypocrisy in our daily life, that people said things they didn't mean, or tried to circumvent the true meaning of nasty words. The world is much simpler in the mind of an autistic child.

I recommend this book for leisure reading. It will only take you a short time a day for several days to read it through. Good for reading while commuting. You will be much surprised with the insight into the mind of an autistic child, and how much similarity there are to ourselves.

I did not enjoy reading this book. I found it very confusing and boring. I understand this was written from an autistic persons view, but not being educated on autism, it made it frustrating to read.

This book was written by Mark Haddon. Haddon was born in 1962 in Northampton, England and attended Oxford where he studied English. Haddon wrote this book about an autistic child. His knowledge of autism comes from working with autistic people as a young man. Haddon won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and the Commonwealth Writer's Prize Overall Best First Book for his work on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
The novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is an excellent portrayal of a child with autism. In this novel autistic Christopher Boone in on a quest to discover who killed his neighbor's dog, Wellington. His autism is apparent as he finds out who the killer is, and goes through his daily life.
The entire novel brilliantly captures how an autistic person lives his life through routine and how he is very intelligent as well. Christopher says, "In the bus on the way to school the next day we passed 4 red cars in a row, which meant it was a Good Day, so I decided not to be sad about Wellington" (24). He also says, "My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries in the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057" (2). These two quotes show how people with autism need consistency and routine as well, and they also show Christopher's intelligence. Christopher hates the color yellow but loves the color red, which is why he has Good Days and Black Days. When there are many red things in a row, he deems it a Good Day, and when there are many yellow things in a row he deems it a Black Day. During Black Days Christopher talks to no one and eats nothing. He sits in a corner all day and mopes. He also has a photographic memory; he can memorize perfectly the scenery of any place he visits.
Despite the fine portrayal of an autistic person, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is somewhat boring at parts. For example, I lost interest when Christopher is trying to find the train station and when he is trying to get to his train. The reader will most likely skim through these portions and not catch some of Haddon's main points. If he attempted to liven up the story a bit he would engage the reader, get the reader more interested and in doing so would be able to convey his ideas more effectively.
Besides this, Haddon still excellently shows how an autistic person lives his life. With great detail, he describes as Christopher's senses go into overdrive. When this happens Christopher starts to groan somewhat like stimming. He also shows how other people, such as Christopher's parents and aide, interact with him.
This novel is much like the movie Rain Man displaying how autistic people have poor communication skills. In Rain Man, Raymond repeats himself and other people over and over again. He also can't comprehend their questions very well. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher doesn't understand complex human emotions. He only understands simple emotions like happy and sad. Christopher also has to ask people what they mean when they say something or make facial expressions.
This wonderful portrayal of autism provides a lot of good information. It demonstrates how an autistic person lives and how other people interact with them. Haddon had an excellent understanding of autism when writing this novel.

Mark Haddon is a novelist known best for his book, The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time, in which he won the WhitBread Book of the Year Award. His book is about a boy named Christopher who has Asperger's Syndrome, a mental disorder, in which people have difficulties in social interactions. He fears strangers and new places, and screams when people touch him. Yet, he has an amazing memory and is mathematically gifted. His perspectives give the reader a different way of viewing events taking place. He sees things logically and takes words literally. As a young man, Mark Haddon worked with autistic people and was motivated to write about one. He is also an atheist, and he uses the character to get some of his views/points about God across to the readers.
In his novel, one night Christopher discovers his neighbor's dog along with the garden fork used to kill him. He is seen holding Wellington, the dog, in his arms and is arrested. He is determined to find out the dog's true murderer and learns more than he intended. The secrets he discovers are too much for him to handle, and he runs away to live with a family member. While on his journey, he must face situations in which he can no longer close himself off from the world around him. While his investigation and journey is taking place, he is influenced by one of his school teachers to write about the mystery and his adventure. Hence, the story is written from Christopher's point of view and tends to be simple in its style. Also, the reader figures out some clues before he does. As for myself, I truly enjoyed reading this novel and recommend for all to read it, for it was entertaining, informative and some times funny.

True, this novel was different from anything else I've ever read. Possibly that is the reason for its popularity. I'd think that most people would want to know more about autism, what with it on the rise, though I did have to admit that I wasn't totally sympathetic for Christopher. My dog, however, did get my sympathy.

The form of the book is unique and the story short. Not the best book I've read, but certainly something you should try.

I don't read a lot of fiction, but this book really captured my attention. The book is written from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old boy with autism -- the book is a book he's writing for a project at school. This is unique and original, however, the character himself is a bit reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man. Not every autistic person is a master at "maths," and a there are a few other peculiarities Christopher (the protagonist) shares with Rain Man's type of autism. But this is a point of minor criticism.

The book starts out as a murder mystery (with a dog as its victim), but turns into so much more. This is a short book -- 215 pages, I think -- and it could be easily adapted into a good film. I hope it is.

I read this one as a part of the book club - I've seen the book around and was interested but found it bitterly disappointing. There are gimmicks galore - the chapter numbers are in primes, there's several puzzles inserted into the text - but very little, if any substance. Additionally by writing the story from the point of the autistic teenager the author is limiting himself to a subset of language, emotions, etc - I'd have been much more impressed if the author told the story in the third person. We're all grown ups here, we can handle it.

Don't bother, in short.

I purchased this book on tape because it is read by Hugh Laurie, not because I was familiar with the author. What a pleasant surprise and delight to hear. It was very educational in that it has given me a new way to look at things - as an autistic person would, since the story is from the perspective of an autistic 15-year-old boy. His mother is dead and he lives with his father. One of his teachers has encouraged him to write a book and when he finds the dog across the street dead, with a garden fork sticking out of his body, he decides to write a book about his uncovering the mystery of who murdered the dog. In the process of doing his investigation, he talks to strangers (which he normally would never do) and incurs the anger of his father (which he does not understand). One mystery turns into others: why is his father angry?, why can't he talk to the owner of the dog?, why can't he ask the questions he asks?, what is the a secret his father is keeping from him? It is also interesting to see how others treat the boy and which approaches work and which don't work. It is interesting to "see" inside the mind of an autistic person. There are a lot of peculiarities in the book, and my favorite is the chapter numbers. The book starts with chapter 2, which made me think I missed something, but it turns out that the boy loves prime numbers, so he gives each chapter a prime number. I think anyone would get a lot out of this book.

ah! in a nut shell: refreshingly witty, and very pleasing for the most cynical of people, a must read :D

Much has been made of how well Heddon has created the internal monologue of his protagonist, a 15 year old high-functioning autistic, and indeed he does a marvelous job. My background is in psychology, and the narrative struck me a extremely authentic. But this has, in many reviews, overshadowed the tremendously well-crafted story that is at the heart of this novel.

Christopher, the narrator, begins by telling us a bit about himself, and how he tries to solve the mystery of a dog that he finds murdered on a neighbor's lawn. But the story of the dog is only, in the end, incidental to a greater mystery that he uncovers, one that changes his life, and that of those around him.

What impressed me most was not how well Heddon recreates Christoper's internal monologue, but how he uses Christopher's limited perceptions and understanding of the world to let us see what Christopher cannot- the emotions and the motivations of the people around him. The result is really a very moving and poignant tale, all the more so because the hero is unaware of so much that we can see.

This book was recommended to me by a friend because I have a 6 year old son with Aspergers. I began to read it on Saturday evening and by lunchtime on Sunday I was done. I couldn't put it down. My son even seemed interested in reading it after I told him it was written by someone else with Aspergers who was trying to find out what happened to a dog that had died. I loved how Christopher (ironically same name as my son) provided his insight, feelings and thoughts about what he saw and experienced throughout the book. It was so interesting and helped me to understand some of the struggles that someone with Aspergers experiences and why they respond the way they do sometimes. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Aspergers, especially if you have someone close to you with it.

I loved this book. If it were 10 times as many pages I would still be turning the pages and enjoying every moment of it.

I've been interested in reading this book for awhile so when I found out that I had to read it for class I was relieved thinking that I would enjoy 'school reading'. At first, I was confused thinking that the author had autism himself. But without having to look it up, I noticed in the writing that the author was writing as if he was autistic.
Although some of Christopher's behaviors are true to the description of autism, such as everything needing to have an order and being very specific in what people say. However, if you pay close attention you can find contradictions within pages of each other. I've read that Haddon has had experience working with people with autism, but that does not mean that he knows how an autistic mind works 100% of the time.
Regardless, I did enjoy the book and thought it was funny and portrayed a person with autism relatively well. I just would have enjoyed it better if it was actually written by a person with autism.

A quick read, this is a fascinating look into the mind of a boy with autism. Because it is written from the perspective of the autistic 15-year-old, we are able to imagine what it would be like to view the world from an autistic perspective. Christopher is hyper-sensitive, emotionally untouchable, mathematically bright and inquisitive, yet lovable. This book has depth that lasts far beyond the reading.

this book is wonderful, i enjoyed it. it had all my emotions. the book was funny, sad, and at times, mad me a little mad. i loved it.

This book reads like it came from the mind of an recovered Autistic person. Those of us who live with an Autistic or Ausbergers person can indentify with this story and hope that our Autistic was as high functioning as the hero.