Title: The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Genre: Mystery
Edition: Paperback
Award: Whitbread Book of the Year (2003)
Goodreads Blurb: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger’s Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour’s dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.”
Oh this book – so many mixed feelings! It took me twenty-one days to finish… after attempting to read it for about two months and that doesn’t include the break that I had to take by reading another book in order to get through this one. To be quite honest, I am not exactly sure why I struggled so much but at the same time, I definitely do not understand the hype of it.
“I like it when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty.”
Positives:
1. Mental aspects were handled well. I found the introduction to Christopher explaining what it is like having asperger’s syndrome to be intriguing and written well. It gave you insight in a way that gave you knowledge and understanding, rather than lightly touching on the subject and asking for sympathy.
2. The main character, Christopher Boone. Vulnerable and bold. He shares everything, while still constantly surprising you. Although I felt like some examples of his characteristics were too long, it added to the intensity of his mind and made you feel protective of him when conflicts in the story came up.
Negatives:
1. So many unnecessary parts. I personally felt as though at least 30% of this book could have been removed in order to make it a more enjoyable read. Too many parts were repetitive – like I get it, this is how Christopher’s mind works but I already know that it works in these ways (as explained in the first few chapters), so please just continue with the actual plot (mystery) and drama.
2. I feel wrong for disliking all of the main characters 90% of the time. Although I don’t think that the point of this book was to ask for sympathy but rather make you more aware, I still felt like I didn’t acknowledge the reasoning behind the reactions of the characters who dealt with the main conflicts. I spent more time being annoyed than connecting with them which is a key part to reading – let’s be honest.
3. The second half is MUCH better. I struggled through the first half, constantly taking breaks for multiple days in a row, but once I hit the halfway mark I couldn’t stop. The intensity and constant conflict finally hit and it kept my interest. If you do decide to read this book and struggle like I did, definitely push through until the end so that you will read the best parts (advice given by my boyfriend who let me borrow this book). Even if there aren’t a lot of them…
4. “Um… okay” type of ending. I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed by the ending but I definitely didn’t love it. It was a conclusion, a simple one, but not an exciting one. It didn’t feel like the book was worthwhile but the drama before it did, thankfully.
“Science and literature give me answers. And they ask me questions I will never be able to answer.”
Overall, I’m glad that I read this book because of the hype that it has but I definitely don’t understand the reasoning behind it – and probably never will.
Would I suggest this book to a friend?: Only if they are interested in the topic.
Would I buy tickets to see the play?: No
Goodreads Rating: 3/5
Paper Cups & Paperbacks 