The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

​I like dogs. If I could have a dog in the apartment where I currently live, I would be one of those folks who keeps dog biscuits in their pockets all the time, matches their furniture to the dog and whose car you couldn't see out the passenger window because of nose prints. Quite frankly, no therapist or shrink can do for me, what a puppy licking my face can. As a cheap substitute, I read any book that has a dog in it. Recently, the title that called from the B&N shelf, was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. However, this is not a book about a dog. It is a book about love, life, heartbreak , bravery and redemption, as told from the viewpoint of the 15 year old, literal minded, narrator, Christopher, a severely autistic British boy; a boy who doesn't like to be touched and cannot interpret emotions or understand feelings. He views life within the parameters of a mathematical equation; physical laws and logic. So when Wellington, the neighbors poodle, is skewered to death with a pitchfork; Christopher begins a quest to unravel the mystery of the murder. And although Christopher does not understand what he is discovering, we, the reader do, and it is here, in this expertly woven tapestry of human frailty, that ordinary people, with extraordinary challenges become champions in their own lives. The cast of characters are somewhat ordinary and this makes them easy to identify with. A middle class father who works as a laborer, an estranged mother who couldn't handle the demands of an autistic child and leaves to create a new life, a special needs teacher who is the sole voice of reason and understanding for Christopher, and Christopher himself , who acts as a `detective' to solve the mystery. Set on the backdrop of a small working class town, who do the best they can with what they know. This stripped down, real cast, shapes a very raw and powerful read. Mark Haddon's writing is simplistic and blunt-which gives it a fresh, original voice. And although this story is short and easy to read...(you will most probably finish it over a couple of lattes...), you will find that the the imprints it leaves on your heart, will last much longer.

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