The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Review

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By Mark Haddon

I attend a monthly book club and the novel we were set for March was 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'. I had read it once before, but that had been about two years ago and so I decided to reread it so as to refresh my memory. 

'The Curious Incident' is a first person narrative from the perspective of Christopher Boone, a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome. In it, he describes his quest to discover who killed his neighbour's dog and, subsequently, how that affects his own life. 

The character of Christopher Boone is remarkable. Haddon presents the character in such a way that we truly have to marvel at how utterly brilliant his mind is. His logic behind certain things (such as his take on constellations) is intriguing and the way he solves maths equations with ease makes me look at my C grade GCSE in shame. He is at times funny, although he doesn't recognise it. His observations on human nature are on-point and make you question how you yourself act when you think no one is watching. 

However, I find that the most endearing thing about Haddon's character is his outlook on life. Christopher will occasionally say something so complex but in such a simple way that it will floor you. For example, whilst explaining why his chapters are all prime numbers, he says:

"I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them." 

 At that point I had to put the book down, stare up at the sky and take a moment to contemplate my existence; and that was just page 15. 

Whilst someone who does not have Asperger's Syndrome cannot even begin to comprehend the intricate way in which their minds' work, Haddon does an exceedingly good job at giving us a brief insight. His use of pictures, diagrams and formulae really helps us see and appreciate what Christopher sees, even if we don't necessarily understand it.

The very first sentence of Chapter 7 says:

"This is a murder mystery novel."

This, to some degree, is true. To begin with, the novel focuses on Christopher's hunt for the murderer of his neighbour's dog. However, very soon his father calls a stop to this and from this point on the book begins to centre around the relationship between father and son. Their interactions act as a catalyst for the novel, with Christopher's father's secrecy spurring our protagonist on in his actions. The tensions between them become increasingly strained until one revelation brings the entire novel to a head. 

The plot, I found, wasn't overly exciting. Whilst there are a few twists to the tale, it doesn't have you on the edge of your seat. However (and never in my life did I think I'd ever say this) the plot is not important. This is a novel that depends entirely on its characters to coax it along, and luckily for Haddon his cast is phenomenal. This is a prime example of what happens when an author well and truly cares about his characters. In a workshop with author William Hussey, he told me that "The character is your god... you do what they tell you." Haddon took this advice to heart and came out victorious. 

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' is, in short, phenomenal. It is witty, deep and occasionally life changing. Whilst I wouldn't recommend it to those who like non-stop action or Sherlock Holmes-esque mysteries, it really would be a shame to deny yourself the opportunity to give this book a chance as it truly is a gem.