A review by skurtyka89
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was not a fan of this book. I thought it was going to be a mystery, but not even a 1/4 of the way through the “mystery” was solved and the story turned into a family drama and the incredibly uncomfortable “adventure” a young boy with ASD goes through. It is very uncomfortable to watch this boy end up in horrible, painful, awkward, highly anxious, and distressing situations, completely alone and without a single human being to guide him or comfort him. Majority of the secondary characters are horrible people. I know it’s supposed to be true-to-life, but I feel that the author went really over the top. Where a lot of readers may have found moments funny or lighthearted, I found myself incredibly tensed and cringing. I was very disappointed in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Stalking