The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Ratings1,035
Average rating3.8
Christopher Boone is 15 years old, a mathematical genius, and autistic. He can???'t tolerate the colours yellow and brown. He groans to calm himself down and does maths puzzles to relax. He doesn't understand emotions, cannot tolerate being touched and is unable to take too much new information in at a time.
His precisely planned world goes into turmoil when he discovers Wellington, the neighbour???'s poodle, dead with a garden fork through him. The neighbour in question catches him cradling the dog and had him arrested.
While in the slammer, Christopher resolved to discover who killed Wellington. His father and neighbours objected to this, but he gets encouragement from Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations.
What began as a murder mystery gradually turned into something bigger and more personal than he could imagine. A revelation sent him running off to London, which is nothing to most 15-year olds, but was terrifying for someone who can mentally cave in from information overload.
If it were any other teenager, this book would have been an angst fest. From an autistic savant's perspective, you'll be drawn to look at the world through his eyes.
Despite the fact that Christopher keeps insisting that this is not a going to be a funny book, his literal observations are often side-splitting.
I arrived at this book years late, but it is still worth it. Now here's an award winner I heartily approve of.
(2006)
I read this during a pandemic because I was sad about pretty much everything else I was reading. Solid book, really engaging. Not really mind-boggling or crazy intense or anything, but it makes you feel nice when Christopher begins solving problems and bummed out when he struggles. It's nice.
Spoilers ahead!
This story was incredibly wholesome and an interesting read. We get to peer into the mind of a young autistic boy who is writing the story “himself” accompanied by his minddrawings and notes. This makes the book quite unique. What starts as a murder mystery (of a dog) unravels into a heartbreaking story of having to live with autism and a devastating divorce messing up a young child's life. I am glad I picked this book up from the shelves and I couldn't stop reading until I found out what was going to happen in the end.
Descubres (si es tu primera vez) un mundo tan impresionante como discreto del autismo. Ligero y sincero, para quienes deseen saber más sobre este tema o incluso sólo leer algo tierno y bueno, este es el libro.
Remembered reading this in school, and wanted to see if this held up.
Appreciated the unique narrative, but the ending felt a little abrupt.
It's charming book with a neat wake on the unreliable narrator, but overstays its welcome for the last third. Fun, but ultimately unmemorable (as indicated by me having seen a theatre adaptation a few years back and still having no idea where the book was going.) 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because at least it's short.
Summary: Christopher is a 15-year old boy who excels in math but struggles to understand human emotions, hates to be touched, and can’t stand the colors yellow or brown. As Christopher investigates the murder of a neighborhood dog, he begins to unravel some even bigger mysteries surrounding his own family.
how’d my mum read this and recommend it to me as a child and not realise i needed a diagnosis. cmon
If you need an endorsement, I read this book in a single day. I could not put it down. As someone diagnosed with autism, with many autistic friends, I saw myself in Christopher, and I saw many of my friends as well.
I will say however, I thought this book would be more of a mystery then it was, though I am not mad about it ending up the way it was. The killer is revealed halfway through the book, less from deduction and more from being told, but it spirals into a real and heartbreaking portrayal of family, especially for those who are autistic.
I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a touching piece about family, autism, and the reasons we do things.
A friend of mine read this a couple of years ago and hated it. Now I had to read it for class and had very low expectations. To my surprise I fell in love with this book and couldn't put it down. It had some twists and turns, but also kept it simple enough for younger readers. Loved it!
Al principio me pareció original la forma de escribir el libro, pero a medida que seguía leyendo se me hizo realmente pesado
Plot twists bastante evidentes
author doesn't know anything about autism. christopher is not only autistic, he's a sociopath. it's not even a proper murder mystery. 2nd half is tedious. aside from a few interesting and heartwarming moments, i was hoping the christopher dies in the end.
can't believe this is being compared to catcher in the rye.
This wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the book summary, but it was a worthwhile read.
What compelled me in the narration was seeing all of this through Christopher's eyes, and making all kinds of interpretations and projections about the emotions and behavior of his parents and the neighbor couple and everyone else Christopher interacts with. Christopher can reliably state the facts of what was done and said but the reader fills in a lot of the blanks about what those characters were feeling and about what Christopher is feeling, and any underlying issues and backstory. Haddon leaves the reader to do the work and that's a good thing.
The other thing I noted was the structure. Christopher tells the reader what happened but after a particularly intense moment he'll shift to a different section where he talks about a math puzzle or game or some other bit of science. The reader experiences his shift away from whatever it is he's trying not to have to feel.
The narrator is a unique individual and however readers diagnose him, it is specific to him, even if others find it relatable (and hopefully they do).
I listened to the audiobook and just loved the narration by 10-12 year old kid. Audiobook version highly recommended.
Why would anyone write a book like this? It was a jumble of run-on sentences and stupid grammar. None of the characters were in any way people I gave a fuck about. I literally got multiple headaches from trying to finish reading it.
The story was boring the writing was like the opposite of immersive. I feel it literally made me think in jagged edges with a monotone voice in my fucking head. Even the letters from his mom were like that. Even though I normal adult person wrote them and should thus be able to write in a normal way. It broke my brain, no thank you.
It's a very unique story telling and the plot is laid in front of you in indirect way. Very fresh and thought provoking.
Heart warming tale of teenager Christopher Boone who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. A quiet remarkable piece of writing let down by the last chapter which felt incredibly rushed.
Not sure what to think about this book, it made me quite upset about how the protagonist is treated by adults, especially by his parents...
