WS Recommends: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

April 30th, 2008 Posted in Tammi, WS Recommends

I bought The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time to have something interesting to read while on vacation. I peeked inside the cover and the next thing I knew two hours had passed and I had finished nearly half of the novel. I finished reading it the next day.

The short novel is written by Mark Haddon. Mark is a novelist who worked with autistic individuals. He is also an illustrator and teacher.

After reading The Curious Incident, I am convinced that Haddon is also a master of empathy. The book is written from the perspective of an autistic teenager and the author quite convincingly helps the reader re-see the world through this young man’s eyes.

There are countless elements to the story that make it a must read. The language is controlled and concise. The main character’s reasoning is perfectly displayed and the story unfolds just a beat ahead of your expectations.

I have read many books about autism. I have written two myself but I have never come across a fictional account that manages to bring the autistic experience to light as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Haddon manages to help others understand the condition through an empathetic masterpiece.

This book not only touches those of us who have been personally touched by autism and related pervasive developmental disorders. It is a masterful demonstration how one person can step into the mind and soul of another.

  1. 6 Responses to “WS Recommends: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time”

  2. By paul on Apr 30, 2008

    Yes, it’s an excellent book. But do also try his next and latest novel “A Spot of Bother”. It’s not as good as “Curious Incident” but it again shows Haddon’s ability to empathize and get inside his characters’ minds. Just as a matter of interest “Curious Incident” was read by the whole of my English Club here in France, none of whom had ever previously read a book in English and two of whom had never read a novel, even in French. That’s how good it is.

  3. By Tammi on Apr 30, 2008

    Thanks for the recommendation. I can see myself getting a whole collection of Haddon’s books.

    There are a lot of post-read epiphany moments after reading “Curious Incident.” Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” comes into play.

    There is so much weaved into so few words.

  4. By keith hillman on Apr 30, 2008

    I recommend this book at every possible opportunity. Whilst A Spot of Bother is a great read, in a way I wish I hadn’t read it! Does that make sense? It was a bit of an anticlimax and a little ordinary after reading such a unique work.

  5. By Tammi on May 1, 2008

    Keith,

    That makes perfect sense. My brother said that he regrets reading “Gone with the Wind” because he’s afraid that he’ll never find another book as good as that one. It almost ruined reading for him.

    I have to make sure that I clear my mind of “Curious Incident” when reading other works by Haddon.

  6. By Jodi on May 2, 2008

    A craazy bit of synchronicity. We’ve been playing around with lists of books this week (Paul Anderson started it!) … and ‘Curious Incident’ was on Paul’s list.

    Funny that I had never heard of this book last week and now here twice in the space of a few days. I’m obviously meant to read it.

  7. By Tammi on May 2, 2008

    Jodi,

    Let us know if you do…It is an extremely fast read.

Post a Comment

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file of the word.
Click to hear an audio file of the anti-spam word