2008 Woodie Awards
In my book:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Kerry Sullivan
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Arts & Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
Mark Haddon is clearly an ambitious writer. In his first novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, the Oxford University creative writing professor tackled the subject of autism, and managed to win the prestigious Whitebread Book award in the process. As a recent Today Show Book Club selection as well, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time has become a national bestseller.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time follows Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year old autistic child from England, in his quest to solve a murder mystery involving his neighbor's dog. The novel is written from Christopher's point of view, and is presented as a memoir by the young boy himself.
Christopher's eccentricities stemming from his condition give the novel a unique voice that separates it from the adventures of other favorite child detectives like Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown. Readers can begin to understand his autistic symptoms, such as an affinity for prime numbers, hatred for the colors yellow and brown, and an inability to detect and understand human emotions. They can also begin to learn how confusing life can be for an autistic child who can't effectively process all the information and stimuli he encounters on a daily basis.
Although Christopher is extremely "book smart" and knows more mathematical formulas than many college math majors, his inability to have meaningful human interactions paralyzes him. This dichotomy between his intellectual and emotional maturity is heartbreaking. Christopher can name every prime number up to 7,057 and all the countries of the world and their capitals, but his most meaningful emotional relationship is with his pet rat, Toby. Since he cannot relate well to other people, cannot stand to be physically touched, and cannot think creatively in the abstract, Christopher busies himself at his school with "maths," and lives in a world of absolutes.
When Christopher discovers that his neighbor's dog has been impaled with a garden fork, he jumps at the opportunity to solve the murder like his idol, Sherlock Holmes. Using his favorite mystery novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, as a guide, Christopher embarks on an investigation that leads him not only to the dog murderer, but also to secrets in his own family that have been hidden for years.
"I like Sherlock Holmes and I think that if I were a proper detective he is the kind of detective I would be," Christopher says. "He is very intelligent and he solves the mystery and he says 'The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.'"
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time allows readers the opportunity to access the inner workings of an autistic mind. According to the Autism Society of America, autism is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, impacting normal development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. People with autism typically have trouble with verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction. As a "spectrum disorder," symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, ranging from very mild to very severe. Christopher's symptoms include difficulty interacting with others, resistance to change, and the dislike of being touched. He is unable to identify and understand human emotions because he interprets every spoken word literally and therefore cannot tell when someone is trying to be funny, serious, or sarcastic. He cannot detach himself from trying to find the logic in every situation.
"Feelings are just having a picture on the screen in your head of what is going to happen tomorrow or next year, or what might have happened instead of what did happen," Christopher explains. "And if it is a happy picture they smile and if it is a sad picture they cry."
The Curious Incident gives Christopher many opportunities to face his fears and prove to himself that he is capable of achieving his goals despite his disability. It is extremely heartwarming when Christopher articulates that he can overcome the obstacles in his life.
"And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own," he says, "and because I solved the mystery of who killed Wellington, and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything."
The Curious Incident was unlike any other book I've read, and although it was simultaneously touching and entertaining, the constant use of Christopher's voice throughout the book sometimes made the story difficult to follow. I also thought the novel ended abruptly, and I would have enjoyed more of a resolution (or maybe a sequel). Nevertheless, for taking on a difficult subject matter and turning it into a meaningful story of your not-so-typical boy detective, both The Curious Incident in the Night-time and award-winning author Mark Haddon get a 7 out of 10, in my book.
Sophomore
English
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time follows Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year old autistic child from England, in his quest to solve a murder mystery involving his neighbor's dog. The novel is written from Christopher's point of view, and is presented as a memoir by the young boy himself.
Christopher's eccentricities stemming from his condition give the novel a unique voice that separates it from the adventures of other favorite child detectives like Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown. Readers can begin to understand his autistic symptoms, such as an affinity for prime numbers, hatred for the colors yellow and brown, and an inability to detect and understand human emotions. They can also begin to learn how confusing life can be for an autistic child who can't effectively process all the information and stimuli he encounters on a daily basis.
Although Christopher is extremely "book smart" and knows more mathematical formulas than many college math majors, his inability to have meaningful human interactions paralyzes him. This dichotomy between his intellectual and emotional maturity is heartbreaking. Christopher can name every prime number up to 7,057 and all the countries of the world and their capitals, but his most meaningful emotional relationship is with his pet rat, Toby. Since he cannot relate well to other people, cannot stand to be physically touched, and cannot think creatively in the abstract, Christopher busies himself at his school with "maths," and lives in a world of absolutes.
When Christopher discovers that his neighbor's dog has been impaled with a garden fork, he jumps at the opportunity to solve the murder like his idol, Sherlock Holmes. Using his favorite mystery novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, as a guide, Christopher embarks on an investigation that leads him not only to the dog murderer, but also to secrets in his own family that have been hidden for years.
"I like Sherlock Holmes and I think that if I were a proper detective he is the kind of detective I would be," Christopher says. "He is very intelligent and he solves the mystery and he says 'The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.'"
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time allows readers the opportunity to access the inner workings of an autistic mind. According to the Autism Society of America, autism is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, impacting normal development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. People with autism typically have trouble with verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction. As a "spectrum disorder," symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, ranging from very mild to very severe. Christopher's symptoms include difficulty interacting with others, resistance to change, and the dislike of being touched. He is unable to identify and understand human emotions because he interprets every spoken word literally and therefore cannot tell when someone is trying to be funny, serious, or sarcastic. He cannot detach himself from trying to find the logic in every situation.
"Feelings are just having a picture on the screen in your head of what is going to happen tomorrow or next year, or what might have happened instead of what did happen," Christopher explains. "And if it is a happy picture they smile and if it is a sad picture they cry."
The Curious Incident gives Christopher many opportunities to face his fears and prove to himself that he is capable of achieving his goals despite his disability. It is extremely heartwarming when Christopher articulates that he can overcome the obstacles in his life.
"And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own," he says, "and because I solved the mystery of who killed Wellington, and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything."
The Curious Incident was unlike any other book I've read, and although it was simultaneously touching and entertaining, the constant use of Christopher's voice throughout the book sometimes made the story difficult to follow. I also thought the novel ended abruptly, and I would have enjoyed more of a resolution (or maybe a sequel). Nevertheless, for taking on a difficult subject matter and turning it into a meaningful story of your not-so-typical boy detective, both The Curious Incident in the Night-time and award-winning author Mark Haddon get a 7 out of 10, in my book.
Sophomore
English