The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Bibliographic Information: Haddon, M. (2003). The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. New York: Vintage. ISBN: 978-1400032716

Plot Summary: 15-year old Christopher possesses a brilliant mathematical mind (all of the chapters are prime numbers), but struggles with social situations. He is unable to predict what others might be thinking or feeling, and deducts from his experiences only the through didactic logic and reason. After discovering his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, killed by a gardening fork, his neighbor calls the police.  When Christopher is touched by the police officer (something he does not like at all), he punches the man, and is immediately arrested and spends one night in jail. When he is released the next day, he decides to write a murder mystery novel in the vein of Sherlock Holmes, and sets out to collect clues from neighbors, against the pleas of his father to “stay out of other people business.” But Christopher never really understood what “staying out of other peoples business” really meant, or what any metaphor meant for that matter—he only understands the literal meaning of words, not the symbolic power of them.

            So when he comes across some clues about his recently deceased mother (a little tidbit he glosses over quickly; she died of a heart attack in the hospital), he doesn’t know how to react. For the past two years he has believed his mother to be dead because that’s what his father told him. But during his investigation of Wellington, an elderly woman in the neighborhood told Christopher his mother was having an affair. Soon, Christopher’s father discovers his murder mystery novel and disposes of it. Desperate to find his book, Christopher searches high and low though his house until he comes up on a box of letters addressed to him. The letters were all from his mother, dating from the past two years, which means she was never dead, and his father was a liar.

            Overwhelmed with fear of his dad, Christopher sets off on a quest to find his mom, adventuring through unfamiliar places and terrifying subway trains—all to find out that the pressure of raising him was too much for his mom, so she left. Christopher eventually solves the mystery behind Wellington’s death, and simultaneously gains a little understanding of the real world.

Critical Evaluation: Instead of blatantly labeling Christopher as a child with autism or Asperger’s syndrome, the author leaves hints to help readers conclude that Christopher is an outsider in some way. He thinks differently than most people, but narrates the book with poignant reasoning, often unaware of his ironic humor and wit. The story is strong: it’s a coming-of-age tale about dealing with a broken family, facing your fears, and never giving up. Haddon gives insight into what it must be like to be brilliantly smart in some ways, and yet constantly trying to understand the actions and reasoning behind other people actions. The relationship between Christopher and his father is tense, as Christopher is objective and straightforward, but his father is passive-aggressive and too careful. We learn that Christopher is capable of knowing the truth about his mother, as his determination gets him through a vast chaotic city to where she lives. His father has been so caught up in protecting him (out of love) that he has forgotten how sharp Christopher is—that he can solve the mystery of Wellington, as well as the mystery of his mother.

Reader’s Annotation: Christopher uses deductive reasoning to solve the mystery of the black-poodle, Wellington’s, murder and during his investigation, learns a clue behind his own mother’s recent death that will change his family life forever.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states, “A talented and versatile writer, Mark Haddon is best known for his Whitbread Award-winning novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a quirky novel about an autistic boy who investigates the murder of his neighbor's dog. In addition, the acclaimed British author has enjoyed a successful career as a writer and illustrator of children's books, a screenwriter for popular British children's television programs, and a poet and playwright. ‘I'm really lucky in that I can do lots of different things,’ Haddon remarked to London Guardian interviewer Hadley Freeman, adding: ‘I really like the idea of being a bit unpredictable. I'm known for being a nice, easy-going person with a straightforward exterior. So I think a bit of me wants to be sort of sly and devious.’

Born in England in 1962, Haddon began his writing career in the mid-1980s, after working a variety of part-time jobs and earning an advanced degree from Edinburgh University.”

Genre: Fiction

Subjects: coming-of-age, mystery, family, autism, Asperger’s

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: Read aloud the first two chapters to introduce the plot and character, Christopher, and make flash cards with facial expressions to pair with his explanation of not being able to understand them.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to mild profanity, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: It's not often that we get a chance to see through the eyes of someone with autism or Asperger's syndrome, and while the author doesn't claim to do this by any means, we do get to peer into the mind of a very logical and socially distant type of character, wrapped up in coming-of-age story.