The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Goodreads 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.
Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, fifteen-year-old Christopher is autistic and everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favorite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.
226 pages
Review:
This book was absolutely wonderful. From the first page, I could not put it down. As a psychology student, I was captivated by Christopher, who has Savant syndrome, a form of autism where the person excels in one particular field, in Christopher's case, mathematics. Mark Haddon did a marvelous job portraying the mind of an autistic. From the intensely detailed descriptions to the wandering thought processes, I think he tapped straight into the inner workings of Christopher's mind.
I also really loved the adventure. I would have preferred if it was narrated a bit more clearly / more general details, but I still would not trade the writing style for anything. It was such a unique view and outlook. Once again, I absolutely loved this novel.
One of the main criticisms this book gets is that it is not truly a mystery. Christopher does not do any actual sleuthing like Sherlock Holmes, which he refers to in the book. But, in my opinion, the book does not really call for a normal mystery novel plot. Rather than being a mystery novel, I perceive this book as more of an insight into the autistic mind and a psychological novel.
The uniqueness of this novel cannot be denied and for that reason, I think it deserves the rating it gets
Rating:
✿✿✿✿✿
Goodreads 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.
Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, fifteen-year-old Christopher is autistic and everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favorite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.
226 pages
Review:
This book was absolutely wonderful. From the first page, I could not put it down. As a psychology student, I was captivated by Christopher, who has Savant syndrome, a form of autism where the person excels in one particular field, in Christopher's case, mathematics. Mark Haddon did a marvelous job portraying the mind of an autistic. From the intensely detailed descriptions to the wandering thought processes, I think he tapped straight into the inner workings of Christopher's mind.
I also really loved the adventure. I would have preferred if it was narrated a bit more clearly / more general details, but I still would not trade the writing style for anything. It was such a unique view and outlook. Once again, I absolutely loved this novel.
One of the main criticisms this book gets is that it is not truly a mystery. Christopher does not do any actual sleuthing like Sherlock Holmes, which he refers to in the book. But, in my opinion, the book does not really call for a normal mystery novel plot. Rather than being a mystery novel, I perceive this book as more of an insight into the autistic mind and a psychological novel.
The uniqueness of this novel cannot be denied and for that reason, I think it deserves the rating it gets
Rating:
✿✿✿✿✿