I have never read anything by Mark Haddon before, but after this book I will definately put him on my "must-read" author list. I read this novel for the first time about three years ago and enjoyed it. This time I read it for an education class that I am taking, which is forcing me to read it on a different level. Instead of being able to focus on the literary talents of Haddon and his gift of perspective, I am focusing more on the character of Christopher.

What is pure genius about this novel, is that it is written in an autistic child's voice. Christoper is 15 and he is autistic: he acutally has Asperger's Syndrome. Because of this, Christopher has to attend a special school. He is not being integrated into England's public school system. Christopher definately has some characteristics due to Asperger's syndrome that would make integration into a public school system challenging to say the least. But, he also posseses some amazing strengths and talents. Haddon's novel provides a fascinating and thorough look into Christopher's mind.

The story is based around the upside-down dead dog that Christopher finds in his neighbor's yard. So he decides to investigate the murder because he likes dogs. The investigation leads to another, more personal, mystery that Christopher solves. This novel gives a very realistic picture of what it means to love someone with Autism, and what it might be like to think Autistically. Haddon doesn't excuse, or sugarcoat, the losses of temper by Christopher's parents; anyone who has children, who reads what his parents deal with, can make their own excuses for their momentary lapses in patience. They love him deeply, but they experience the same frustration any of us would feel.

This novel is not a depressing gloomy story about a child with Autism; it is very humorous. Christopher cannot tell a lie, and he explains why. (See the excerpt on Dust Jacket Review). But what is extroadinary about Haddon's novel is that Haddon gets lost as the author. Christopher's voice is the only voice that you hear when you are reading this novel. There is a body of theory about the "death of an author" and the makings of a really good novel. The author should be transparent to the reader; this novel achieves that goal. It is only Christopher doing the talking and the explaining, and it never seems unreal.

So I urge you to take Christopher's journey with him. Enter his mind, and unravel the answers to the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Happy Reading!