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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Cover

Awards

2003 Whitbread Book of the Year Award 2003 Whitbread Novel Award
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Powells.com Staff Pick

"It's not just the hook, though the hook is peculiar and oddly affecting. 'When I was writing,' the author allows, 'I really thought to myself, Who on Earth is going to want to read about a fifteen-year-old kid with a disability living in Swindon with his father? And I thought, I better make the plot good.' The hook, the plot, is significantly better than good, but it's the irresistible voice of Mark Haddon's fifteen-year-old narrator that elevates this literary debut to fantastic heights." Dave Weich, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)

"It is a perfect book to make you feel good about the underdogs of the world. This book makes you feel like anyone can be a hero." Jonathan, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions.

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions, and cannot stand to be touched. Gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. "I do not always do what I'm told," he admits. "And this is because when people tell you what to do it is usually confusing and does not make sense. For example, people often say 'Be quiet' but they don't tell you how long to be quiet for..."

At fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork and is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with this crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the mysterious workings of Christopher's mind.

At once deeply funny and heartbreakingly poignant, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the freshest debuts in years.

Review:

"Though Christopher insists, 'This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them,' the novel brims with touching, ironic humor. The result is an eye-opening work in a unique and compelling literary voice." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"This original and affecting novel is a triumph of empathy; whether describing Christopher's favorite dream...or his vision of the universe collapsing in a thunder or stars, the author makes his hero's severely limited world a thrilling place to be." The New Yorker

Review:

"[A] bittersweet tale....A kind of Holden Caulfield who speaks bravely and winningly from inside the sorrows of autism: wonderful, simple, easy, moving, and likely to be a smash." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"For Haddon to have created such a superbly realized autistic world-view is, in itself, remarkable. Brilliantly inventive, full of dazzling set-pieces, unbearbly sad, yet also skilfully dodging any encounters with sentimentality, this isn't simply the most original novel I've read in years...it's also one of the best." The Times (London)

Review:

"[S]tark, funny and original....[I]t eschews most of the furnishings of high-literary enterprise as well as the conventions of genre, disorienting and reorienting the reader to devastating effect." Jay McInerney, The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Moving....Think of The Sound and the Fury crossed with The Catcher in the Rye and one of Oliver Sacks's real-life stories." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Review:

"Superb....Bits of wisdom fairly leap off the page." Newsday

Review:

"Narrated by the unusual and endearing Christopher, who alternates between analyzing mathematical equations and astronomy and contemplating the deaths of Wellington and his mother, the novel is both fresh and inventive." Booklist

Review:

"A stroke of genius, as the advantages of having a naive, literal-minded boy in the driving seat are manifold... we do learn what it might feel like to have Asperger's Syndrome." David Newnham, T.E.S.

Review:

"A kind of Holden Caulfield who speaks bravely and winningly from inside the sorrows of autism: wonderful, simple, easy, moving, and likely to be a smash." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Mark Haddon's portrayal of an emotionally dissociated mind is a superb achievement. He is a wise and bleakly funny writer with rare gifts of empathy." Ian McEwan, author of Atonement and Amsterdam

Review:

"I have never read anything quite like Mark Haddon's funny and agonizingly honest book, or encountered a narrator more vivid and memorable. I advise you to buy two copies; you won't want to lend yours out." Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha

Review:

"The Curious Incident brims with imagination, empathy, and vision — plus it's a lot of fun to read." Myla Goldberg, author of Bee Season

Review:

"Brilliant....Delightful....Very moving, very plausible — and very funny." Oliver Sacks, author of Awakenings

Review:

"In this striking first novel, Mark Haddon is both clever and observant, and the effect is vastly affecting." The Washington Post Book World

Review:

"The book gave me that rare, greedy feeling of: this is so good I want to read it all at once but I mustn't or it will be over too soon" Kate Kellaway, The Observer

Review:

"Haddon's book illuminates the way one mind works so precisely, so humanely, that it reads like both an acutely observed case study and an artful exploration of...the thoughts and feelings we share even with those very different from us. (Grade: A)" Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"The novel is being marketed to a YA audience, but strong language and adult situations make this a good title for sophisticated readers of all ages. Highly recommended." Library Journal

Review:

"One of the strangest and most convincing characters in recent fiction." Slate

Synopsis:

Narrated by a 15-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions.

Synopsis:

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

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About the Author

Mark Haddon is a writer and illustrator of numerous award-winning children's books and television screenplays. As a young man, Haddon worked with autistic individuals. He teaches creative writing for the Arvon Foundation and at Oxford University. He lives in Oxford, England.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 11 comments:
Authors On The Rise Book Reviews, May 22, 2008 (view all comments by Authors On The Rise Book Reviews)
Christopher Boone likes night-time walks. On one of these walks, he discovers the body of his neighbor’s dog pierced by a pitchfork. The death of the animal awakens Christopher’s desire to investigate and solve the dog’s hideous murder.
Christopher’s detective work drums up some interesting leads, not only about the dog, but also about some mysteries in Christopher’s own life. In the end, Christopher will have to choose between the family he knows and his need for knowing the truth about the incident of the dog in the night-time.
Mark Haddon’s portrait of an autistic boy on a mission is well written, and perfectly told. The story, composed as a first-person narrative, expertly portrays the actions and mind set of a person living with autism.
Haddon’s complex storytelling may confuse some readers, but it is essential to building the foundation of Christopher’s character. It helps the reader to understand the thought patterns autistic people. Haddon does a wonderful job weaving the chapters to create a compelling and surprising read.
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KAbbey, December 30, 2007 (view all comments by KAbbey)
This book is a fascinating insight into the mind of a young man with Aspergers Syndrome, a condition which is linked to Autism. As a young man who analyses everything, whether he wants to or not, he causes himself many worries. A fall out with his father, causes him to make a terrifying journey to London by himself.
Anyone woring or planning to work with children with Autism will find this a very interesting and educational read. I have learnt a lot about the way an Autistic mind works!! I would also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you missed it!
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cherylmarie, December 11, 2007 (view all comments by cherylmarie)
I found this book to be a fascinating exploration into humankind's search for truth, and our need for a belief system that makes sense of the world as we perceive it. Insofar as our perceptions differ, so do our truths. I was recently asked what I'd wish for if given the opportunity and I replied, "a rulebook for life that everyone followed." Isn't that what Christopher is seeking? Isn't that what we all are?
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781400032716
Author:
Haddon, Mark
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Savants (savant syndrome)
Subject:
Autism
Copyright:
2004
Edition Number:
Reprint ed.
Publication Date:
May 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
240
Dimensions:
8.02x5.28x.65 in. .57 lbs.
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