The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, written by English novelist Mark Haddon, is a mystery novel. Written in 2003, the novel has recently been transformed into Broadway play and is planned to become a film soon in the future.
The story is a first-person account of Christopher John Francis, a 15 year old boy who has exceptional mathematical abilities, but lacks sociability. In fact, Christopher is a high-functioning mentally challenged teenager. Christopher turns quirky behavior into legitimate handicapping quirks and his bluntness can tend to catch the reader off-guard. Additionally, while what he suffers is not specified, Christopher has an autistic spectrum condition.
Christopher lives alone with his father; he clarifies that his mother died two years ago. While wondering around the neighborhood, Christopher stumbles upon his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, lying lifelessly on the owner’s front lawn. Mrs. Shears, the owner, calls the police as she suspects that Christopher was the culprit behind the murderous act. Christopher assaults the police out of compulsion and fear and gets arrested, but released essentially on probation.
Although he is legally barred from and sternly warned by his father from intervening with the investigation of the dog’s mystery, Christopher’s curiosity compels him to continue his own investigation. The reader accompanies Christopher along his mission of finding Wellington’s murderer—and all the obstacles he encounters—and cannot help to be inspired and motivated by his tenacity.
Coming in at a mere 226 pages, approximately, the novel is definitely an entertaining and quick read for most readers. What is even more whimsical about the book is the fact that it has illustrations.
Another quirky attribute to the novel is the way the chapters are numbered. In order to support Christopher’s mathematical interests, Haddon numbers the chapters in ascending prime numbers. While this is a minute detail to the entirety of the novel, it truly helps to encompass you in the mentality of Christopher.
With that being said, at times it is integral to take a step back while reading the novel. There is a multitude of emotional triggers that will generally make the reader shed a tear or feel the same rage Christopher is feeling at that moment. This special type of empathy is alarming and so strong that it can make you feel as if you possess some symptoms of mental disorders.
Hypochondriasis aside, this novel sheds light on mental disorders through the perspective of young Christopher Francis. If you are a reader on the go, or not accustomed to reading long novels, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is perfect novel to capture your curiosity.
