“I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking. It has four moods. Happy, sad, cross and concentrating. Also, dogs are faithful and they do not tell lies because they cannot talk.”
I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but to say I was pleasantly surprised is putting it mildly. This book languished on my TBR for over a decade. I don’t know why I avoided it, but I just never got around to picking it up. I ended up listening to the audiobook and I think it enhanced the experience.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which borrows its title from the Sherlock Holmes’ story The Adventure of Silver Blaze from the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collection, is the story of a 15-year-old boy named Christopher John Boone who sets out to solve the mystery of who killed his neighbor’s poodle, Wellington. While he does ultimately solve this who-done-it, another mystery reveals itself: what happened to his mother? Solving the second mystery pushes Christopher to do things he has never done before.
It is established early on in the novel that Christopher is on the autism spectrum, with an obsession with math and prime numbers and a dislike for being touched…and the colors yellow and brown. He has difficulty understanding the emotions of others. I think this was very well presented in this novel, especially the ways it can impact a family. Some of the attitudes presented towards Christopher’s mannerisms and preferences felt a little outdated, but I still think it likely gives an accurate portrayal of its time as the book is set in the late 1990s. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. It has a lot of heart.