The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.
Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, fifteen-year-old Christopher is autistic and everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favorite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.

I don't usually review books twice but The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time is such a special book it deserved a lot more attention than the mini-review I posted right after reading it during the readathon.

This particular book is in my eyes brilliant. I've never before read any book that in such a natural way portrays the life and thoughts of an autistic child. I dare say that I've learned a lot from it - and not just through the simple and elegant explanations of mathematical problems I've never before been able to wrap my head around.

The story in itself is sweet and simple and yet complicated as only life can be when love and broken hearts are involved - and worse yet, when a child is caught in the middle.

The book isn't for all, for sure. I tried getting my mom to read it (we often share the same taste in regular fiction books) but she didn't get hooked by it at all and never got through it. I'll still recommend it far and wide though, it doesn't seem to have gotten nearly enough attention in Denmark at least.

	The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon ISBN13: 9780224063784 272 pages / published in 2003
	Review by Iben Jakobsen, BoB, 2014