The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Hello to all my readers out there filled with the same literary wanderlust that I have. It is time for my first adventure into literature. The book I chose for my first quest is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.  I had heard fantastic things about this book and was excited to read it for myself.  

Now, upon reading it, I have a few mixed feelings about it in terms of following the plot.  For those who have never read it, this book is about the adventures of a 15 year old boy, Christopher, who has Asperger’s Syndrome.  As Christopher struggles through the pressures of finding out his father’s secret and attempting to travel and find his mother, the reader discovers how this young child growing into adulthood perceives the world around him. This book gives a quite interesting insight into not only how children view the adult world around them but how, specifically, children with this syndrome view the events happening in their life.

It was definitely a very interesting book and actually gave great insight into the way that people with this syndrome think. People with Asperger’s are very logic minded and this was evident throughout the book and had trouble interacting socially with people. He stuck to a routine and when that routine was disrupted, it became a challenge he had to face, using the only methods he knew how.  

As an English major, I had a lot of trouble following along with the graphs, charts, and math examples that the narrator uses in the book. Perhaps, this is because I am not a visual learner and usually find charts and graphs to be distracting to the text. However, the narrative provided much explanation and, through a bit of study, I was able to follow along with the plot quite well. 

The book itself addresses very commonplace themes such as coming of age and dealing with loss. However, the form it is presented in is very unique and, in my opinion, a quite important addition to the literature already in existence on these subjects. When presented in the point of view of a child with a learning disability, this book provides insights that no other is capable of doing. Not only does it supplement the perspectives already given, but it provides readers with a whole new tale and point of view.

Overall, I loved this book and completely agree that it should be included on the list. Also, it is not a book I would have naturally grabbed off the shelf if I was just walking through a bookstore. But that is the point of this entire blog, to discover books I never would have considered. If the rest of my journey is as exciting and fulfilling as this one, I am eager to continue on this journey. And I hope you are too.

  And, if you do read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time…I would love to hear about your own literary adventures through it.  Now…I embark upon my next book into more worlds unknown…I can’t wait to tell you about them…