..................The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

by Mark Haddon / Review by Dan O'Connor

. . . . . Since I first got the idea of writing book reviews, I have read many books, novels in particular. Yet, I was not moved to sit down and write a review until I finished this one. I guess I was disappointed by most of the others.

. . . . . The tremendous appeal of this novel is that, while brief in terms of word count, it provides an insightful look into the life, joys, gifts, fears and struggles of a young fifteen year old boy, Christopher Boone, who has Asperger's Syndrome, which is very similar to autism. Where we as readers want to bleed and feel for this boy, he is devoid of emotion. What must that be like?

. . . . . The author, Mark Haddon, a writer of children's books does a marvelous job of showing us. It is only through one who is conversant with the art of observing and depicting childhood behavior that we, as readers, have any chance of taking this journey. The premise is clever, the storyline credible and the telling of the story masterful.

. . . . . Christopher finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead with a pitchfork stuck into its side. With the help of his special education teacher's instruction, he has decided to write a mystery novel about the incident by taking us, as the readers through his careful analysis in a "Who done it?" fashion. It isn't too far into the book, when we realize that this is not what the book is about at all. It's about the frustrations, the misery, the challenges and the realities, not only of being autistic (I'm using poetic license here, since he has Aspergers Syndrome), but of being the parent, the neighbor, the teacher or the policeman of this child. Whereas touching and feeling is a huge part of nurturing for normal children, we see one portrayed here for whom such an approach results in screaming, punching and heavy resistance.

. . . . . Yet, the author is so deft as to let us experience the humanity of this creature's existence from inside him. While rooting for the boy and his challenges, he also allows us to feel the frustrations and the pain of trying to nurture the boy from his diametrically different (from one another, as well as the boy) parents, in fact loving him, and not being able to hold him or reach him on an emotional level, except in a very remote and tangential way.

. . . . . For those of us who believe that the finest novels generally illustrate a character arc in which the protagonist, obviously Christopher in this novel, experiences such growth of character that he is different in kind from the beginning to the end of the story, I certainly did not expect this, given that the lead character was devoid of most emotions ascribed to feelings. Yet, I was gleefully and joyfully proven wrong, as the story came full circle by the end with all the growth, verve and resolve by the lead character of any of the finest stories ever told. Of course, it was in Christopher's own way and within the boundaries of his own capabilities, but that's what life is all about.

. . . . .To be eligible for that elusive fifth star, I also have a requirement that the novel potentially add something of significance to the wealth of knowledge and/or insight of the reader into the demands of our existence and not just serve as entertainment. For the longest time, while reading it, I thought that the "wealth of knowledge" test was the only one that could be met and that strength of character and growth on the part of the protagonist was outside the scope of possibility, that I would have to settle for graham crackers and milk, as opposed to ale and spice cakes. Once more, and to my delight, I was proven wrong as I was able to live inside, relate to, pull, hope and yes, pray, for the deliverance of this fictional young man and revel in his pureness of heart--a young man, which due to his persistence, his drive, his longing, and his courage will not go wanting for purpose and fulfillment.

. . . . . Merci bien, Monsieur Haddon, for a job well done!

Dan's		Book Review Report Card

Major Character Development
		Christopher Boone	A+
		Christopher's Father	A
		Christopher's Mother	A

Dialogue			A

Narration / Prose		First Person / Lead character only	A+

Pacing		Slow and deliberate, but never stagnant or boring	A

Storyline Issues
	Continuity	Storyline outline clear and concise?	A
	Drama	A tempest in a teapot for the reader, but not for the protagonist. Once emulating his feelings, the drama is intense and compelling	A
	Character arc	Was classic protagonist character arc present and compelling?	Yes
	Conclusion (AKA The Ending )	Poetic, appropriate, plausible and compelling ?	Yes

	Social value	Did I learn anything, either in terms of knowledge or insight into life?	A

Overall rating		Thumbs way up! / Five stars!	A+

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Curious Incident of the Dog Book Review