Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.
Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read. --Jack Illingworth, Amazon.ca
レビュー:
megdy (USA: TX) (2007/05/16): People keep gifting me copies of this book. I've read it, and generally enjoyed it, but it's not a favorite. I found myself more emotionally attached to the dog than the main character, and thought the ending went in a weird direction. Cassie (USA: AZ) (2008/01/15): I attempted to read this book both as slowly and as quickly as I could. Slowly to drink in such a fascinating story, and quickly because, despite all that, I was still desperate to find out what happened in the end.
Although the narrator may seem quirky and difficult to identify with to some, as a person who has been a care provider for children and adults with Autism I had great a emotional attachment to the main character.
I loved, loved, loved this book. Allison (USA: OK) (2008/01/27): I loved this book too! instantoats (Singapore) (2008/02/12): Love the book! Looking at the chain of events through the boy's perspective was very interesting. Light, pleasant, interesting read. Chris (USA: PA) (2008/02/23): I loved this book. I felt that Mark Haddon did a great job of providing insight into what goes on in the mind of someone with autism. I have the feeling that he has first-hand experience. Funny and heart-warming. Katie (USA: CO) (2008/04/09): Very interesting read. I enjoyed it a lot it was very different. The Restless Mouse (USA: WA) (2008/05/26): I had to touch this book 3 times before I read each chapter LatteQueen (Canada) (2008/12/06): Love this book! Its funny. Angela (USA: FL) (2008/12/23): This was a fantastic book! I loved it redpoppy647 (United Kingdom) (2009/06/14): I loved this book - when I finally got round to buying it. I just wasn't sure about it at all - until I started to read it. Brilliant. I thought it was very funny and very accurate (life through the eyes of a teenager with autism). Didn't like the ending though - it just seemed to go off the boil, almost as if the author had got fed up with writing. Definately worth reading though. Ryan (USA: HI) (2009/08/19): Anyone familiar with autism will find themselves immediately at home with this book and its main character, and perhaps chuckling with the very-well crafted protagonist, Christopher Boone. Those not familiar will only be half a step behind, as the first-person narrative lucidly explains the reason behind Christopher's each and every action.
Mark Haddon does an excellent job at weaving myriad details in and out of the story, while never dropping a beat.
