The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By: Mark Haddon

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition similar to autism. He doesn't like to be touched or meet new people, he cannot make small talk, and he hates the colors brown and yellow. He is a math whiz with a very logical brain who loves solving puzzles that have definite answers.

One night, he observes that the neighbor's dog has been killed, since it is not moving and has a large garden fork stuck in its body. Christopher knows this is wrong. He has never left his street on his own before, but now he'll have to in order to find out who killed the dog. What he discovers will shake the very foundation of his perfectly ordered life.

Critically acclaimed author Mark Haddon, a two-time BAFTA winner, crafts a stunning masterpiece that is funny, honest, and incredibly moving.

©2003 Mark Haddon (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2004

"The novel brims with touching, ironic humor. The result is an eye-opening work in a unique and compelling literary voice." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fresh and inventive." (Booklist)
"Smart, honest and wrenching....Will quickly hook you in." (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Gloriously eccentric and wonderfully intelligent." (The Boston Globe)

wow

Cool book! I loved the way this was written...the detail & explaination of the narrators thoughts, feelings and experiences was incredible. Listen to this book!

Endearing Character

This story wraps the quirky, endearing qualities of a character with Asperger's around a simple tale of adventure and suspense.

Best book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It didn't meet my expectations......it shattered it!!! This is my favorite book because of how I can relate myself to Christopher!!!!!

Insightful! Lovely story!

it was a bit hard, emotionally at first. I am so glad I stuck with it! Real Life for a special person in the world.

Three Forks

This story presents us with a sad treatise on family life. It has an interesting and catchy beginning as we are introduced to a young man who is obviously autistic. He finds his neighbor's dog killed by a garden fork and as a result of his concern and his autism gets blamed and arrested. As the story unfolds we are introduced to his mother who deserts the family to be with the next door neighbors husband. She justifies her desertion of her son by tweeting him letters on a regular basis but never seems to care enough about him to try to find out why he doesn't respond to them. We are also introduced to his father who festers with anger and bitterness toward his wife, intercepts her letters and tells his son that she died in hospital of a sudden heart attack thus explaining why she didn't come home from work. Rather than seeking professional and/or spiritual help to heal his bitterness he fails in his responsibilities to his son and his family. There is one consoling character who presents a comforting and supportive role in the boy's life which gives a redeeming aspect to the narrative. I found it interesting to be let into the mind of this particular aspect of autism. Perhaps that is the redeeming aspect of the book; that one can come to understand some of the challenges of autism and how to better support and encourage those challenged by it.

Better (quicker) in print

This was my second time reading this book, once I read it in print and once I listened to it as an audiobook. I found that my ability to read the printed novel at a faster pace than the narrator read made the book more enjoyable to read in print than it did to listen to (though the narrator did a very good job). Just a bit slow in audio format.

Fantastic!

This book was so much better than I expected. The summary sounded interesting, but it ended up being so much more than what I had imagined. I cannot sing it's praises highly enough! I don't want to spoil anything, but you should absolutely Read. This. Book.

So interesting

An interesting journey into the mind and thoughts of a differently abled person! Very good!

Great!

This book gives insight into the world of autism/Asperger's and does so in an interesting manner.

An excellent story and performance

I liked the very real description of the autistic Christopher. His parents were very believable in the situation they were in. I would highly recommend this book.