The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

An original plot, an unusual protagonist, an overwhelming story

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a novel written by Mark Haddon in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy, Christopher, who suffers from a sort of autism called Asperger’s syndrome that causes him social and behavioural problems: for example, he hardly understands the meaning of metaphors and of some idiomatic expressions.

The consequence of Christopher’s disorder is that he’s moody, impulsive and obsessed with order. This causes him to panic if even a little thing is misplaced or changed. He often overreacts and people around him hardly understand his behaviour. Like other people with Asperger’s syndrome, he has a very high level of logical-mathematical intelligence. One of his main traits is that he makes everything a ‘game of logic’, and we can figure this out because of the way he describes events.

Christopher is an animal lover: this is why, when he finds the dead dog of his neighbour, he decides to solve the mystery of the murder and to write a book about it. In the course of his investigation he discovers some unexpected and surprising truths about his past.

The story is set in two main locations, Swindon and London, and it rarely strays from these places. The writer focuses his attention on Christopher’s viewpoint and thoughts, which is why he writes the book in a really simple way, easy to understand for everyone. Although it is never stated in the book that Christopher suffers from a mental disability, it becomes obvious by the way he acts. The narration is often slowed down by many long and detailed descriptions of the circumstances in which the events take place and of Christopher’s actions and thoughts. This results in the lowering of suspense and a slow narrative rhythm. Despite the fact that it is developed in few pages, the story is gripping and engaging for the readers.

This novel is original because the main character is a disabled teenager who sees the world differently from most people, so it’s interesting for the readers to try to sympathize with him, as well as to understand the thinking processes of people with such a mental condition.

We strongly recommend this book to everyone because of its unusual topic and amazing impact, you won’t regret reading it!

AUTORI: Sara Belfassi, Vera De Biasi, Kadidia Oumou Konsegre, Chiara Miglioranza, Letizia Porzio