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

 

"When Christopher finds the neighbors dog, killed with a pair of gardening shears, he decides to do some "detecting" and solve the mystery. What he manages to do is dig up pieces of his own past that are both astounding and painful and shows how some people we love will lie to us to save us and themselves from pain."

2 Stars. 

Pros: It was an interesting take on a narrative, for sure, unique and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, just to see how everything turned out. 

Cons: I understand that Christopher is extremely logical and doesn't "get" social cues but...the narration, especially the dialogue of "I said, then Father said, then I said" quickly grated on my nerves. 

Full Review: 

Christopher is an extremely intelligent boy. His mind is almost machinelike in its ability to solve complex mathematical equations and figure out the logistics of almost every situation he finds himself in. But, when it comes to interacting with others and understanding emotions, his logical brain just shuts down. He most likely suffers from aspbergers syndrome and attends a special school where there are other students that struggles with similar difficulties. 

When he finds that the neighbors dog Wellington, whom he liked, has been murdered with a set of garden shears, he decides to try and solve the mystery, like one of his favorite fictional heroes, Sherlock Holmes would. And as he goes about working out the mystery, things within his own life that he thought were truly are actually false and he unlocks a whole new mystery that he never even thought possible. 

It's an interesting enough read and has enough surprises to keep you intrigued. And though the narration grated on my nerves at time, when I stopped and reminded myself that it was being told from the point of view of someone who's mind didn't work like mine, it was easier to handle. It was interesting how Haddon brought to light things in Christophers' past and how he showed that sometimes the people we love will lie to us to try and save us from pain. It was a surprisingly emotional story but told without any real emotion, which both worked and didn't. It's hard to explain. 

It was a unique read, that's for sure and I did enjoy the mystery of it all and seeing how it all ended up but this wasn't a "can't put it down" read.