Book Review — ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ (Mark Haddon)
Christopher John Francis Boone is a 15-year-old suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that significantly impacts the communication and socialization skills of a person. He knows the names of all the countries in the world, their capital cities, and every prime number up to 7,507. Christopher lives with his father, Ed Boone, and his pet rat, Toby in Wiltshire, England. Due to his autistic condition, he tends to perceive specific aspects of his life in distinct ways and often has contrasting perspectives to those around him.
The novel begins at 7 minutes past midnight when Christopher notices a dog lying on the grass in the middle of a lawn in front of his neighbour, Mrs Shears’ house. Out of curiosity, he makes his way over to the dog, named Wellington, only to find a garden fork stroked through it. Trying to wrap his head around what may have potentially happened, Christopher notices Mrs Shears charging out of her house onto the garden in absolute shock, presuming that Christopher may have killed Wellington.
In contrast, Christopher likes dogs and constantly reiterates his love for animals throughout the novel. He is then interrogated at a police station, accompanied by his father, where he invariably proves his innocence. Christopher then describes how he wants to become a detective and find out who killed Wellington, something his father advises him against, telling him to keep his nose out of other people’s business. Not taking his advice on board, Christopher decides to embark on his detective journey, only to find out at the very end that it was his father behind it all.
Mark Haddon, the author of the novel, effectively brings out Christopher’s personality traits and his characteristics as an autistic person by portraying the different actions he takes, his thought process, and his likes and dislikes. For one, as the novel progresses, Christopher‘s inability to understand the emotions of others around him becomes glaringly evident. He doesn’t like being touched or screamed at and comes across as an extremely logical person in the way he perceives the world and the actions of others around him all while trying to avoid any form of social interaction wherever possible. These characteristics are reminiscent of a person suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. It is admirable how Haddon has been able to seamlessly bring out these different elements in the form of a very entertaining story.
Moreover, Christopher himself is a very likeable character, purely because of how he justifies and thinks through all the actions he takes in his life. This is further accentuated by his logical and mathematical way of thinking. What stands out in this novel is the fact that it not only portrays the daily life and struggles of an autistic person, Christopher John Francis Boon but also shows how he acts with others around him and how others perceive him as an individual due to his condition.
Conclusively, this novel is written from the point of view of a 15-year old which is why it sticks to a rather casual, informal, and child-like style of writing. Therefore, it would appeal greatly to a young audience and a specific section of adults as well. To be more precise, this novel would appeal to those who have an autistic condition themselves as it very intricately outlines the various characteristics of an autistic person and the various struggles that they have to put up with in their day-to-day lives.
To sign off, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a must-read for people across different age groups, for it is a novel that not only fascinates readers with its open, outgoing, and free-flowing style of writing but also sheds light on autism and the lives of those who have it.
