It's an odd title for a book, I here you say. Well, I will not contest that because I agree; but I would add that it is actually its oddness, its main character, and its narration that make it intuitive and relatable. If you've read The Perks of Being a Wallflower- which is also a great novel-, then I guarantee you will enjoy this even more. And if you're looking for a break from all the romance novels, and the sci-fi and fantasy genres, this book will surely give you a dose of reality you never even knew existed.
It centers on Christopher Boone. He can tell you the square roots of any number, prime numbers that exceed 100, all the signs posted in a room, and essentially anything save anything to do with emotions. He hates yellow, and takes everything literally. He writes this book investigating the death of his neighbor's dog, but then stops when he finds there was more to the murder mystery than what it seemed.
If you haven't guessed yet, Christopher is a boy with autism. His world operates through math because, according to him, math is the only absolute way to make decisions in your life. Literally, he makes decisions in life using mathematical equations.It's interesting he should say this because at some point in my life I've actually come to consider this as an absolute truth as well. The only problem I have is that I'm not nearly as good as he is when it comes to solving through equations. But maybe that's not the problem. Maybe the reason maths are very helpful when it comes to making decisions is because the variables are constant. And one little change in them can change the answer altogether. But what if the decision you make affects the equation itself? How would you make the decision then? I guess this is the problem Christopher was faced with at one point, but he was unable to see beyond the equations. Then again I guess it was foolish to think he would just "grow out" of his condition. Still, I adore the wit, the charm, and the intentional pieces of information inserted in this narration. The author depicted perfectly how such a person would view the world.
A quirky addition to the unique narration in this story are the illustrations Christopher made to show what was in his mind. Check it out so you'll know what I'm talking about:)
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| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon |
So to all the bookworms out there, try this on for size! It's endearing, inspiring, and just heartwarming:)
Shout out:
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
PS
You also might want to check out "A Spot of Bother" also by Mark Haddon
Happy reading! :)
Dani
January 3, 2012- 8:37PM
"And I know I can do this because
I went to London on my own
I solved the mystery of who killed Wellington and
I found my mother and I was brave and
I wrote a book that means
I can do anything."
- Christopher Boone, The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
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