The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
“Wonderfully surreal . . . Heartbreaking and inspiring . . . It is hard to think of anyone who would not be moved and delighted by this book.” – Financial Times (London)
Indeed, I was. I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon in four hours on the drive from Florida to North Carolina. (Actually, I still have at least four more hours until we reach NC, as I am writing this post on the way there right now.)
The main character of the story, named Christopher, is a 15 year old boy who has autism and sets off to find the killer of his neighbor’s dog. He is reminiscent of a British version of Adrian Monk, the obsessive compulsive detective from the television show “Monk” on USA. Christopher takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes, switches to Steven Hawking on frequent tangents (a personal favorite as I love physics so much), and all the while remains an autistic child trying to make his way through a world frustratingly ignorant to his special intelligence. Christopher does not have the capacity to lie and lives his life by logic. While some of his decisions seem illogical to the average reader at first, after an explanation by Christopher, the reader can see how according to the dimensions of his life, they make perfect sense. This one aspect of Christopher’s life demonstrates Haddon’s exquisite talent as a writer. You feel as if you are really inside an autistic child’s mind, as if Christopher himself is truly writing the story.
The Daily News writes about the novel, “A lovely piece . . . [Haddon] illuminates a core of suffering through the narrowly focused insights of a boy who hasn’t the words to describe emotional pain.” As Christopher searches for the truth of the death of Wellington the dog, he comes across the truth of an important discovery in his own life. (I am not a plot spoiler, so you need to read the book yourself.) The reader watches as he deals with the implications of this change through his limited expression of emotion and change. My heart wrenched at many different points of the story, but not for the “disability” that he lives with, but with man’s inhumanity to man. I learned a great deal about the opposite perspective in situations such as those which Christopher encounters and writhed in anger at how so many of the characters dismissed him as mentally challenged and treated him with contempt.
This story touched me not only emotionally, but also morally as I examined my own treatment of those around me. I thought of two autistic children at my church and my impatience with them at times. I do not think that they realize my impatience, but I see it in myself and after reading The Curious Incident, I recognize my deficiency and what continued practice may develop it into, for “practice makes perfect.” As I pondered on this arena of perfection, I also contemplated how this impatience extends beyond those “mentally challenged” to simply everyone around me and my mind shot back to “man’s inhumanity to man.”
I think that we all forget that we deal with human beings and that each person’s mind is a mystery to our own. Entertainment Weekly writes, “Haddon’s book illuminates the way one mind works so precisely, so humanely, that it reads like both an acutely observed case study and an artful exploration of a different ‘mystery’: the thoughts and feelings we share even with those very different from us.”
Indeed, I was. I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon in four hours on the drive from Florida to North Carolina. (Actually, I still have at least four more hours until we reach NC, as I am writing this post on the way there right now.)
The main character of the story, named Christopher, is a 15 year old boy who has autism and sets off to find the killer of his neighbor’s dog. He is reminiscent of a British version of Adrian Monk, the obsessive compulsive detective from the television show “Monk” on USA. Christopher takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes, switches to Steven Hawking on frequent tangents (a personal favorite as I love physics so much), and all the while remains an autistic child trying to make his way through a world frustratingly ignorant to his special intelligence. Christopher does not have the capacity to lie and lives his life by logic. While some of his decisions seem illogical to the average reader at first, after an explanation by Christopher, the reader can see how according to the dimensions of his life, they make perfect sense. This one aspect of Christopher’s life demonstrates Haddon’s exquisite talent as a writer. You feel as if you are really inside an autistic child’s mind, as if Christopher himself is truly writing the story.
The Daily News writes about the novel, “A lovely piece . . . [Haddon] illuminates a core of suffering through the narrowly focused insights of a boy who hasn’t the words to describe emotional pain.” As Christopher searches for the truth of the death of Wellington the dog, he comes across the truth of an important discovery in his own life. (I am not a plot spoiler, so you need to read the book yourself.) The reader watches as he deals with the implications of this change through his limited expression of emotion and change. My heart wrenched at many different points of the story, but not for the “disability” that he lives with, but with man’s inhumanity to man. I learned a great deal about the opposite perspective in situations such as those which Christopher encounters and writhed in anger at how so many of the characters dismissed him as mentally challenged and treated him with contempt.
This story touched me not only emotionally, but also morally as I examined my own treatment of those around me. I thought of two autistic children at my church and my impatience with them at times. I do not think that they realize my impatience, but I see it in myself and after reading The Curious Incident, I recognize my deficiency and what continued practice may develop it into, for “practice makes perfect.” As I pondered on this arena of perfection, I also contemplated how this impatience extends beyond those “mentally challenged” to simply everyone around me and my mind shot back to “man’s inhumanity to man.”
I think that we all forget that we deal with human beings and that each person’s mind is a mystery to our own. Entertainment Weekly writes, “Haddon’s book illuminates the way one mind works so precisely, so humanely, that it reads like both an acutely observed case study and an artful exploration of a different ‘mystery’: the thoughts and feelings we share even with those very different from us.”
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posted by bellevoce | 8:18 PM
3 Comments:
Well done, Elisabeth. Good literature like THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME should compel the reader to look within themselves in relating to characters and story. Your reaction is commendable.
Since you enjoyed this fictional insight into an austic boy's mind, I think you'll appreciate LOOK ME IN THE EYE, a memoir by John Elder Robison.
I'm going to check on both of these books ASAP. Loved your review. I'm inspired to keep writing---like it's my job.
"Wonderfully surreal.. Heartbreaking and inspiring.. It is hard to think of anyone who would not be moved and delighted by this book"
I do hope someone says that about my work someday.
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