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A review by chelseasofia
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so beautiful. I read it a long time ago and loved it. I reread it because Jeff Woodman did the audio and I’ve been enjoying listening to him do the LJG books. He’s just delightful and though he uses a different voice here (so he sounds unfamiliar), I was not disappointed. He’s a fantastic voice actor!
But besides that, the book was just as brilliant, funny, and heartbreaking as ever. I don’t know whether this is a realistic representation of autism or being on the spectrum in general, so I’ve left that to the side. However, I realized this time around how much I resonated emotionally and in some ways mentally with the main character Christopher. Like how he likes some colors and detests others, and uses these markers or rules to order his world. I did that when I was little too, just like having food preferences, as a way to feel some sense of control in the world and what happened to me. These things make sense to me and I still have certain preferences that might seem eccentric or ridiculous to most people, but it’s brilliant to read the perspective of a character who makes sense of the world this way and to feel seen a little. In this way, I think the book does speak broadly to neurodivergence in general.
I also just resonated emotionally in the way of how as children sometimes we just can’t understand how or why adults do the things they do. And the adults that bother to meet you where you are, are like gold. This book has me thinking a lot about how we’re all trying our best, and sometimes even our best can still hurt the people we love. Or, rather, the people tasked to care for us can really truly love us and still make terrible mistakes. Not that that excuses their behavior, it just shows how messy life really is.
My heart was with this character from the get-go and I was rooting for him all through. This one will stick with me for awhile.
But besides that, the book was just as brilliant, funny, and heartbreaking as ever. I don’t know whether this is a realistic representation of autism or being on the spectrum in general, so I’ve left that to the side. However, I realized this time around how much I resonated emotionally and in some ways mentally with the main character Christopher. Like how he likes some colors and detests others, and uses these markers or rules to order his world. I did that when I was little too, just like having food preferences, as a way to feel some sense of control in the world and what happened to me. These things make sense to me and I still have certain preferences that might seem eccentric or ridiculous to most people, but it’s brilliant to read the perspective of a character who makes sense of the world this way and to feel seen a little. In this way, I think the book does speak broadly to neurodivergence in general.
I also just resonated emotionally in the way of how as children sometimes we just can’t understand how or why adults do the things they do. And the adults that bother to meet you where you are, are like gold. This book has me thinking a lot about how we’re all trying our best, and sometimes even our best can still hurt the people we love. Or, rather, the people tasked to care for us can really truly love us and still make terrible mistakes. Not that that excuses their behavior, it just shows how messy life really is.
My heart was with this character from the get-go and I was rooting for him all through. This one will stick with me for awhile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, and Animal death
Moderate: Infidelity, Ableism, and Child abuse
Minor: Vomit and Excrement