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Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Today Show Book Club #13) by Mark Haddon ISBN: 0-385-51210-4 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 31 July, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 (250 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Shares a candid and favorable picture of an autistic mind
Comment: The premise of "Curious Incident" seems almost impossible, but works in a straightforward yet engaging manner--much like those students of mine who are autistic. Christopher is a 15 year old young man living with his father, who has been under the assumption that his mother died of a heart attack. When he finds the neighbor lady's dog stabbed to death with a garden fork, he decides to do some "detection" to discover the dog's murderer and bring him to justice. In the process of doing so, Christopher uncovers some family truths and his well ordered life begins to unravel.
Much has been learned in recent years about the way many people with autism process information and see the world, thanks to people like Temple Grandin and Donna Williams, who have broken through and written about their own experiences. Haddon's bio says that he worked with individuals with autism, and the development of Christopher reflects this personal background. Clearly, Christopher has had heavy doses of social stories and social skills sessions. He explains regularly that he does this "because this means..." He will launch into seemingly unrelated concepts and give detailed descriptions, explaining how his mind works.
The story moves forward not in spite of these digressions, but because of them. Although Christopher might "obsess" about some minute detail, they often lead to his own discoveries that force him to make hard choices--such as stepping outside his highly predictable routine to find the train station and travel to London in search of his mother.
The depictions of Christopher's many strange behaviors and coping skills rang true for me. I pictured similar behaviors by my own students, and this allowed me to appreciate the character development all the more.
Clinical observations aside, it's a great story. In this day of novels about downtrodden protagonists defying the odds and coming into their own, Christopher's story, by virtue of his direct narration, is a refreshing change in the genre. Although he is a young man totally mystified by human emotions, as a reader, I found myself unable to put the book down until I knew how things would be resolved for Christopher and his family.
For those of us who are lucky enough to have someone with autism sharing our life, much of the story will engage because it is so familiar. For those of us who have not had much experience with these special people, it is an engaging and insightful look into the workings of the mind. Most of all, it's a highly original and creative point of view for telling a story.
Rating: 5
Summary: An amazing fictional leap
Comment: Mark Haddon has written a moving novel about love and bravery through the eyes of a British autistic boy. Christopher discovers his neighbor's poodle dead, impaled by a pitchfork, and, because he adores puzzles, he sets out to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington . But Christopher is autistic, a boy who doesn't like to be touched and cannot decipher emotions beyond the tools his teacher has taught him, and so the task requires the huge effort of testing rules and facing his own fears. A literalist by neurology, he deconstructs life into a set of mathematical equations and physical laws. This unique perspective makes him a good detective on one level, where clues and logic rule, but it also fails him on another, higher one because he cannot understand the magnitude of what he uncovers.
That Haddon was able to write a book from Christopher's point of view with all his quirks and still make him lovable is extraordinary. By necessity, the writing is simple and unadorned, but the language of details elevates it from the mundane. The insertion of mathematical puzzles and drawings add to the reader's understanding of how Christopher's mind works. Haddon's real skill is an understatement that allows the reader to comprehend what is going on even if Christopher cannot. Although Christopher cannot grasp subtlety and nuances, the reader can, and that's where the true force of this exceptional novel lies.
This short, easy to read book can be completed in a couple of sittings, although its impact will last much longer. Highly recommended for a general readership.
Rating: 5
Summary: Don't Miss It!
Comment: Not many people can quite understand what goes on in the minds of the mentally impaired, all that is seen and understood is the outward culmanation of their thought process. Yet Haddon succesfully manages to portray the mind of a (fictional) autistic boy beautifully, creating sympathy and emotion for a mind that knows neither.
Christopher, the narrator, is a 15 year old boy, yet his writing seems simple and straight-forward, mirroring his thought-process. Although to others, an autistic mind may seem complex and non-comprehensible, Christopher's thoughts explain his actions in a simple manner, which he cannot convey to others in words.
When Christopher discovers his neighbour's dog dead in her garden, he decides to embark upon an investigation to determine the murderer. To Christopher, dogs are just as important as people, and so the killer must be found. But his investigations take him much further than he expects, revealing truths about both of his parents, and turning the world-as-he-knows-it upside down, completely rearranging his life. However, Christopher's reaction to the events of the novel are not as the reader experiences them. When he discovers the truth about his Mother and Father, his physical anguish is clearly shown, yet his narrative technique does not show passionate emotions or distress. His mind and thoughts remain calm and passive. Through Christopher's eyes we see normal every-day events from a different perspective, and experience normally upsetting and traumatic events through an emotionally indifferent mind, creating even more empathy and sorrow than usual.
The simple writing style of Christopher allows an easy reading of the novel, which has images and illustrations scattered throughout. However, Haddon allows the reader a fuller understand than Christopher's interpretation of events, by portraying full dialogues throughout the text that the reader can interpret differently to Christopher's unemotional grasp, giving the reader an upperhand of situations. This three-dimensional approach allows a contrast to Christopher's two, or one, dimensional interpretation, allowing an intimacy with Christopher's character that would not normally be permitted by an autistic person.
Despite the novels slightly large appearance, it is a quick read, due to the simple writing-style, but time should be taken whilst reading it in order to appreciate it fully.
The indifferent manner of Christopher compared to the emotionaly turbulent events that take place in the novel create a parallel that gives the reader full enjoyment of the novel, leaving a feeling of enlightment and deeper understand, and perhaps some guilt, for all autistic people. Rather than just understanding an autistic person from the actions they display, Haddon allows us to understand Christopher's actions and thoughts, which are wholly different, and in this way the reader can come to appreciate the intricacies and levels of an autistic mind, not just by face-value. Don't miss this great book! Another quick recommendation is The Losers Club by Richard Perez
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Title: The Time Traveler's Wife (Today Show Book Club #15) by Audrey Niffenegger ISBN: 1931561648 Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing Pub. Date: 17 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ISBN: 0385504209 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Life of Pi by Yann Martel ISBN: 0156027321 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Middlesex : A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides ISBN: 0312422156 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ISBN: 0142001740 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 28 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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