Adventure 10: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon

After dealing with some serious fact-oriented non-fiction the previous week, I wanted to read a lighter book which would be both enjoyable and fun in equal measure. ‘The Curious Incident…’ was the book for the occasion. Witty, poignant and moving, Mark Haddon’s book makes you laugh and enjoy life, and tugs your heart later on.

Funnily enough, for something named after what is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s best Sherlock Holmes story, the book poses no mystery at all. The book, on surface, is about 15-year old Christopher John Francis Boone and his attempt to solve the murder of his neighbor’s dog. And again, curiously for a Holmes-ian name, the murderer is obvious to us in the first half itself! The catch though, is when we are introduced to Boone’s medical disorder (which is never named, but sounds a lot like Asperger’s syndrome). The rest of the book follows Boone as he learns new things about himself, his father, his deceased mother, and among other things, lessons on how to travel in a train (far more interesting than you can imagine).

This book is, first and foremost, funny. You know you are in for a joy-ride when you look at the chapter numbers and the diagrams in the first few pages. What also helps, is the protagonist’s innocence, and the writing style of the author which mirrors this. The same style which makes you feel joyous and light on the inside when you know Christopher has a good day (measured by cars!) or is good at something, tugs at your heart later when you find out why he is how he is, and therein lies the magic of the author in presenting this simple little story. The innocence of the story is still light enough for a child to read, but sufficiently heavy towards the latter half for an adult. I think this is why this book remains popular and heavily recommended to a variety of age groups.

I also liked the thought process mapping of the protagonist, which lets us, through his eyes, how a little boy with a mental condition thinks, behaves and is affected by the stimuli around him. The book initially takes it’s time to pick up pace, but as we get over our curiosity of the initial elements of Christopher and his different thoughts, it races towards the ending. What also struck me was the simplicity of the story. There are no major shocking events or giant pull-the-rug-from-under-you reveals, but what could happen to any one of us portrayed so beautifully, with enough suspense and drama, that you are unable to put the book down. The supporting characters are all very normal as well, and this story is more next-door than suspense. But yet…

Now that I think back, there isn’t a single qualm I could think of when reading this book, except maybe for why I hadn’t gotten to this book earlier, or that we aren’t told much about Siobhan as a character. This review, like the book, then, is relatively short, sweet and simple. Just read the book. You’ll love it!

P.S. The Appendix was another one of the reasons I absolutely loved the book, don’t miss it! The passage when the appendix is referenced is just oh-so- beautifully written like a child as well, and made me reminiscence about my own childhood days. Oh, and that ingenious cover design as well!