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

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
reviewed by Anya Millard 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a fascinating look at mental illness, dysfunctionality, bravery, and impulsivity. The book tells the tale of Christopher Boone, a teenager with what is most likely high-functioning autism, and his journey to discover who killed his neighbor’s dog. Throughout the story, more and more is revealed about the secrets surrounding not just the dog’s seemingly random death, but Christopher’s own family. From his father’s mysterious aversion to their neighbor’s ex-husband to the neighborhood’s strange attitude towards Christopher’s dead mother, the web of secrets and lies that surround the life of the small block in Swindon, Wiltshire starts to unravel during Christopher’s once very small search for a poodle’s killer.

The book’s blunt descriptiveness puts every detail in perspective, and helps the reader truly see through the eye’s of the narrator and his rather analytical approach to the world, sparing no time for deep poetic thought. Consider his description of a holding cell: “It contained approximately 8 cubic meters of air. It had a small window with bars and, on the opposite side, a metal door with a long, thin hatch near the floor… There was also a padded bench” (Haddon 14). The almost stream of consciousness style in which the author presents the story also lends to understanding Christopher’s mind. “My name is a metaphor. It means carrying Christ… and it was given to St. Christopher because he carried Jesus Christ across a river. That makes you wonder what he was called before he carried Christ across the river. But he wasn’t called anything because this is an apocryphal story, which means that it is a lie” (p. 16).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone in search of a good mystery, especially one written in a unique way. I deeply enjoyed the book’s mystery, and found myself enthralled with the many twists and turns the book drops upon the reader. The mystery is never left without a personal touch from Christopher, however, and viewing it from his sometimes limited, sometimes much more perceptive view is something I found quickly becoming one of my favorite aspects of the text. The author never makes one pity Christopher for his condition, but instead encourages the reader to cheer him on and continue his search despite the adversity he faces. I have read few books that succeed so well on this front as this one. 

All in all, this is a fantastic mystery novel that manages to explore many topics avoided by most authors, and truly brings the reader into the unexpectedly harrowing journey of a teenage boy discovering the complex world around him.