What I Think About Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” So Far

Mark Haddon is a God.

I was originally going to wait until the end and do a little review, but honestly, that was impossible. The book is just that good. So this post will give you a look at what I’m reading.

The book begins with our main character, Christopher Boone, looking out of his window. It’s seven minutes past midnight and in the darkness, Christopher spots that his neighbor’s dog is dead. In effort to help it, Christopher approaches the dead dog and begins to cuddle it, not knowing that it would lead him to a few hours in jail.

Beyond that, Christopher attempts to solve the mystery of the dead dog, while also tapping into his personal life.

Christopher is diagnosed with a nameless (for now) disease. How good his days will be are based off how many red or yellow cars he sees. He’s anti-brown and yellow stuff and his food can’t touch. I quickly find out that he’s an upcoming novelist, chronicling his own struggles with social skills and the unknown.

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(Here’s where a spoiler comes in…)

Around somewhere in the first half of the book, Christopher recalls the day his mother died. For him, it was a Super Good Day because he made a card for her with some red cars drawn on it. Little did he know that she’d later die after from a heart attack.

Now, I’m going to say this before I get lost the mid-book pros and cons. I love this book for many reasons, but for one in particular: it makes me think. In the chapters following her death, I learned that Christopher’s mom was having an affair with the husband of the dead dog’s owner. And boy was that a shocker! I’m starting to think the affair played a part in the heart attack.

PROS:

1. It’s raw and honest. Christopher doesn’t hold back with his feelings, he’s blunt. Maybe that’s a side effect of his condition, I’m not sure.

2. It’s consistent.

3. The story isn’t long and dragged out.

4. It isn’t safe. What I mean by that is it’s a risk-taking book, talking about anything from relationships and death to drugs and religion.

5. It’s not a typical book in that there’s no type of structure. It’s just what he’s thinking as it’s happening*.

CONS:

1. It’s mathy. There’s too many math references for a book blogger to handle. WORDS, ONLY POR FAVOR!

2. It’s random. Christopher sometimes just throws out random characters or thoughts about how he wants to be an astronaut or about things he’s seen in America.

3. It’s not British enough. There’s only a few hints of English culture, which tests it’s British authenticity. Apparently the book is set in England.

4. It’s hard to follow. For someone who has a difficulty with following along, this may be hard for them because a lot of sentences are run-ons.

5. I don’t know enough back story. And this angers me because Christopher’s condition is not presented early on in the book and leaves me in the dark.

6. *It’s not a typical book. Not only do the chapters jump around because they are based on prime numbers, but they also end like a slam on brakes.

But besides that, this book has definitely made it to Courtney’s Top 10 Books of Her Life! If you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for?!?!

Until we read again,
Courtney