The Curious Incident

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

Narrated by 15 year-old Christopher, who has Asperger's Syndrome - this tells the story of how he finds a murdered dog and his subsequent investigation into what happened. What it becomes is a story of his family, the stresses on them in caring for him and an excellent insight into his own mind.

It's very good, extremely sad and very insightful. There are quirks throughout that appeal - the chapters are not linear numbers (1,2,3...), but prime numbers (2,3,5...). Christopher speaks in detail about logic, maths, hating yellow and brown, and at the same time weaves in details about his family life. It's a great skill that Haddon can write from the point of view of someone with detached emotions, yet it results in a book of great emotional force.

If you know or care for people with Asperger's (or autism) this could be really helpful for understanding how they think and their minds work. However, I suspect it would be very sad reading for people closely connected with caring for children with Asperger's.

If you are a carer of a child with Asperger's or with an autism spectrum disorder, I do wonder if it's the type of book worth recommending to family and friends to help them understand - both your child's mind and the challenges for their carers.

Well worth reading - both for the enjoyment of the book, and also the insights it gives.